1250
submitted 10 months ago by DeadWorld@lemm.ee to c/brainworms@lemm.ee
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] OldWoodFrame@lemm.ee 39 points 10 months ago

The lobbying is not the problem. The donations that sway opinions are the problem. If it was entirely unrelated to donations and the congress person was just hearing out all sides of an issue, that's a good thing.

[-] halcyondays@midwest.social 33 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

How often do companies fund biased or outright falsified studies that are then presented as fact by lobbyists?

I could maybe get more behind lobbying without donations if all data points were required to be peer reviewed. The lawmakers hearing these arguments are not experts (see any tech related legislation ever), it’s real easy to lie to them; basically removing the money then means that the most charismatic and/or best liar ends up winning.

[-] alcoholicorn@hexbear.net 19 points 10 months ago

If donations did not affect outcome, no company would donate.

Even when a legislator's decisions are unaffected by lobbying, companies still control legislation by ensuring legislators who earnestly believe in legislation that favors the corporations over the people get elected.

This is how Biden sided with banks and the prison-industrial complex for half a century yet didn't have enough money to fund his son's cancer treatment without selling his house until Obama paid off his medical debt.

[-] silent_water@hexbear.net 6 points 10 months ago

"hearing out all sides" somehow invariably turns into siding with whoever controls the most capital - I wonder how that happens.

[-] cedarmesa@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)
[-] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 4 points 10 months ago

Donations aren't to sway opinion they're to maintain a stock of dependent politicians who already agree with your position but who also need your funding to stay in office

[-] HoustonHenry@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Which will happen when hell freezes over

Edit- not saying you're not wrong though

this post was submitted on 12 Oct 2023
1250 points (99.4% liked)

BrainWorms

1162 readers
3 users here now

Hey, welcome to BrainWorms.

This is a place where I post interesting things that I find and cant categorize into one of the main subs I follow. Enjoy a front seat as i descend into madness

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS