"The root of Washington’s ills"

[applegrove]

The root of Washington’s ills

by Fareed Zakaria at the WP

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fareed-zakaria-the-root-of-washingtons-ills/2013/08/01/085392aa-fa15-11e2-8752-b41d7ed1f685_story.html

"SNIP...............................



The hottest political book of the summer, “This Town” by Mark Leibovich, is being read in Washington with equal parts embarrassment and delight. It is a vivid, detailed picture of the country’s ruling elite, filled with tales of ruthless networking, fake friendships and a sensationalist media. But beneath the juicy anecdotes is a depressing message about corruption and dysfunction.

If you are trying to understand why Washington works so badly for the rest of the country, the book says that it works extremely well for its most important citizens: the lobbyists. The permanent government of the United States is no longer defined by party or a branch but by a profession comfortably encamped around the federal coffers. The result is that Washington has become the wealthiest city in the nation, and its relative position has actually improved over the past five years, during the worst recession in 75 years. The country might be struggling, but K?Street is not.

Leibovich describes a city in which money has trumped power as the ultimate currency. Lobbyists today hold the keys to what everyone in government — senator or staffer — is secretly searching for: a post-government source of income. He cites an Atlantic magazine report that says that in 1974, only 3 percent of retiring members of Congress became lobbyists; today, that number is 42 percent for members of the House and 50 percent for senators.

The result is bad legislation. Look at any bill today: They are gargantuan documents filled with thousands of giveaways. The act that created the Federal Reserve in 1913 was only 31 pages. The 1933 Glass-Steagall legislation that regulated banking was 37 pages. The current version of that law, the 2010 Dodd-Frank bill, is 849 pages, with thousands of pages of additional rules. The Affordable Care Act runs more than 2,000 pages. Bills have become so vast because they are qualified by provisions, exceptions and exemptions put in by the very industry being targeted — a process that academics call “regulatory capture.”


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[mick063]

1. Proposal for Constitutional Amendment

Last edited Mon Aug 5, 2013, 08:58 AM - Edit history (1)

No former legislators may be employed as lobbyists.

Now I leave it to the experts to define this into manageable terms.

I just want to get the "spirit" of the proposal out there. A starting point from which to work from.

Legislators work at the promise of future employment and not as a representative of the people.

This shit has got to stop.

[longship]

2. Amendment, not "ammendment"

Sorry! Just think you ought to correct your typo.

Will self-delete if you do.

[JDPriestly]

3. True of politiicans at all levels across America --

"everyone in government — senator or staffer — is secretly searching for: a post-government source of income."

That's why we have so much corruption.

We ask our elected political officers to sacrifice their careers to serve us, and when we decide to fire them, or they decide to quit, they have to find some way to make a living. And the corporations are right there ready to help.

[Scurrilous]

4. Thanks.

K & R