Lobbyist friend just told me his salary. Wow!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About 10 years ago I was doing work for a federal agency that was asked to help a Congressional office craft the language for a law that most people have never heard of. One day, the draft of the language had two new sentences in it. They seemed innocuous; clarifying scope fuels that would be affected by the law.

Two years later, I learned that a lobbyist had gotten a staffer at the Congressman's office to add those two sentences added to the bill, which became law, which is now saving that industry over a billion dollars per year on their tax bill. It turns out that those two sentences were very specific and very important.

You figure out how to do that, you get the big bucks.

So basically a lobbyist is paid to screw the American people? I feel like this wasn't the framers intent.

You could never be a lobbyist because you have poor reading comprehension skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh goody! So you are now the judge of what is a cause worthy of a lobbyist and what is not? Lucky world to have you in it!

To paint all lobbyists with a broad brush is so typical of liberal hypocrites. You can claim the moral high ground and claim there's a difference when you work on behalf of one type of client vs. another. Whatever. You're an idiot.

Conservatives used to be the group pushing to limit government.

After Bush, Romney and Robert Francis "Bob" McDonnell the liberals have become the "hypocrites" that want to limit government.

How does supporting the (First Amendment) right of lobbyists to lobby equate to supporting an expansion of government exactly?

Constitutional rights are neither liberal nor conservative. They are just rights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About 10 years ago I was doing work for a federal agency that was asked to help a Congressional office craft the language for a law that most people have never heard of. One day, the draft of the language had two new sentences in it. They seemed innocuous; clarifying scope fuels that would be affected by the law.

Two years later, I learned that a lobbyist had gotten a staffer at the Congressman's office to add those two sentences added to the bill, which became law, which is now saving that industry over a billion dollars per year on their tax bill. It turns out that those two sentences were very specific and very important.

You figure out how to do that, you get the big bucks.

So basically a lobbyist is paid to screw the American people? I feel like this wasn't the framers intent.

You could never be a lobbyist because you have poor reading comprehension skills.

Thank you. That's a great compliment. I'm sure you have everything it takes to be a great scumbag.

[Anonymous]

I hope everyone realizes that when a scumbag lobbyist redirects public goods into the pockets of private interests, they are screwing all of you.

Since the beginning of government, there have been leeches on governments and the people that governments represent.

F U scumbags!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About 10 years ago I was doing work for a federal agency that was asked to help a Congressional office craft the language for a law that most people have never heard of. One day, the draft of the language had two new sentences in it. They seemed innocuous; clarifying scope fuels that would be affected by the law.

Two years later, I learned that a lobbyist had gotten a staffer at the Congressman's office to add those two sentences added to the bill, which became law, which is now saving that industry over a billion dollars per year on their tax bill. It turns out that those two sentences were very specific and very important.

You figure out how to do that, you get the big bucks.

So basically a lobbyist is paid to screw the American people? I feel like this wasn't the framers intent.

You could never be a lobbyist because you have poor reading comprehension skills.

Thank you. That's a great compliment. I'm sure you have everything it takes to be a great scumbag.

Ooh good one!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh goody! So you are now the judge of what is a cause worthy of a lobbyist and what is not? Lucky world to have you in it!

To paint all lobbyists with a broad brush is so typical of liberal hypocrites. You can claim the moral high ground and claim there's a difference when you work on behalf of one type of client vs. another. Whatever. You're an idiot.

You would be surprised how conservative I am. But, I guess you'd rather resort to ad-hominem attacks than try to make a coherent moral relativist argument.

You are right that it is wrong to paint all lobbyists in one light or in two lights as I originally argued. Every lobbyist is a unique individual and should be treated as such. My point is that some lobbyists are working to enrich the few at the expense of the many, which I believe is clearly immoral based on thousands of years of human experience. Lobbyists that are making sure their industry is not treated unfairly or lobbyists that work in the general public's interest, such as protecting small business from regulations designed to deter competition, are doing something good with their lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope everyone realizes that when a scumbag lobbyist redirects public goods into the pockets of private interests, they are screwing all of you.

Since the beginning of government, there have been leeches on governments and the people that governments represent.

F U scumbags!

+1 Our national debt is driven by irresponsible deals for big companies, such as Medicare Part D, and corporate tax loop holes. The lobbyists that have worked to jeopardize the younger generation's future should be deeply ashamed of themselves.

[Anonymous]

I'm a health care provider who makes a bit over a tenth of that 750k salary. I treat people who can pay and who cannot. I treat people with tons of health problems, and many other problems as well. I am trained to look for and help refer/protect/report child abuse, domestic violence, human trafficking, and mental health issues. I answer calls from patients at all hours if the night and weekends a few weeks every year when is handle call.
I supposedly save "our country" a lot of money and human suffering by managing long term diseases and health problems. I knew I was respectively underpaid but this makes me mad.

[Anonymous]

Wish my lobbyist husband made $750K! After almost 15 years in the same job he makes $350K. No partnership, no $750K salary - maybe he's doing something wrong? Are there others in the same position and $750K in the industry is only a small percentage? Not sure what he has to do to get up to $750K, but it would be nice!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wish my lobbyist husband made $750K! After almost 15 years in the same job he makes $350K. No partnership, no $750K salary - maybe he's doing something wrong? Are there others in the same position and $750K in the industry is only a small percentage? Not sure what he has to do to get up to $750K, but it would be nice!

How do you scrape by at $350k, must be traumatic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's not representative of the entire profession. A lobbyists salary is going to vary by where he or she works and for what industry/cause. The Humane Society or School Nutrition Association lobbyist isn't making nearly that amount.

Exactly. Does he work for the NRA? Phillip Morris? You might want to choose new friends

[Anonymous]

Souls are going for that much these days?

[Anonymous]

Yeah, right

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wish my lobbyist husband made $750K! After almost 15 years in the same job he makes $350K. No partnership, no $750K salary - maybe he's doing something wrong? Are there others in the same position and $750K in the industry is only a small percentage? Not sure what he has to do to get up to $750K, but it would be nice!

You're pathetic PP. We make about what your DH makes and I am so incredibly grateful and feel so very lucky that we are in the position we are in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does a lobbyist actually do ? What credentials do they need ?

My DH got a lobbying position right out of college, with a degree in political science and some connections at the lobbying firm where he ended up working. His firm lobbied for institutions of higher learning; his area was in getting money for scientific research. He mostly went to meetings with donors and university representatives, and wrote lots of papers and letters.

He worked there for about 7 years, and made around $95k. He left to pursue a Ph.D., and now teaches congressional politics and policy in a well-regarded state university. So that's that.