VIDEO - Rand Paul Introduces Amendment To Force Former Elected Officials To Forfeit ALL Benefits If They Become Lobbyists

Video - Sen. Rand Paul on the Senate Floor - Jan. 31, 2012

This law is approximately 40 years overdue, and it took a neophyte Senator to be the first to propose such legislation in the history of the U.S. Senate.  $20 bucks and box of Cracker Jack says it has exactly zero chance at passing our captured Congress.

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Another short clip of Paul discussing Ammendment 1490 to the STOCK Act.

Comments

[jaime]

Way to go, Rand.

[j r]

Just make lobbying illegal. It's just legal bribery.

[Den]

Hear Ye Hear Ye! This is an excellent proposition. Let' s put a smidgen of ethics in on our government.

[dave mowers]

At best they should receive a maximum health and pension benefit equal to what the AVERAGE AMERICA on social security receives. Our royalty needs to be taken down to the level it was meant to be at.

[Texas Dar]

$20 bucks and box of Cracker Jack says it has exactly zero chance at passing our captured Congress.

I'll 2nd that DB......and I'll up ya a box of "Good-n-Pleanty"....................

[KingofthePaupers]

Jct: What a waste of time going after abusers is while the malfunctioning system needs repair but if Rand doesn't know how to fix to prevent abuses, he may as well go after abuses. Sad he's not up on high-tech community timebanks.

[ETM]

I'll agree that most lobbying is an evil, but there are practical reasons that make outlawing it problematic. The main problem being when Congress needs to write a law about something they don't know much about (see: Internet). I think one solution would be that Congress be open to all parties interested in pending legislation (i.e., including public interest groups), and that an individual person can only every meet with a congressperson once in a lifetime per issue. Or perhaps once every 2 years. That should prevent "career" lobbyists, at least.


Feel free to tell me where the flaws in that idea are...

[Norman]

He might add a claw-back clause in it while he's at it. Make it retroactive for the past 40 years, just to make it fair. Now this is the most intelligent thing to come out of the circus in many many years. Gosh, there may still be hope in that body yet.

[Older]

Agreed!!

[Pitchfork]

I hope everyone caught those digs at Newt Gingrich -- about someone calling himself a "historian" instead of a "lobbyist." Attaboy, Rand.

[Miguel Grande]

Let's take another step and arrest all military officers who go to work for defense contractors. Make it a crime for politicians to accept donations, gifts, meals, trips, liquor, drugs, women, or cute little boys from people, corporations or foreign countries.

[It's Me]

Every single US citizen should have the right to lobby, it's when you get the big time lobbyists that can put our legal system to halt, that people start wanting to outlaw lobbying.

[Jake]

Look at Rand Paul saying something sensible for once, well done! I'm not sure if this law would help much, but it certainly couldn't hurt. Don't you hate when people argue against something by saying that it wouldn't completely solve a problem? If it's a step in the right direction, do it, don't hold out for the one perfect silver bullet.

[Cheyenne]

This is exactly what the country needs. Another law that won't be enforced due to "systemic risk" or whatever other Merde du Jour is being ladled into innumerate American brains via TV.

[Mark Lewis]

Finally some sanity and practicality but it won't pass without Massive public outcry ----- Call your friends email facebook lets pass this!!!!!!

[Justice]

I second Miguel's comment.

"Let's take another step and arrest all military officers who go to work for defense contractors. Make it a crime for politicians to accept donations, gifts, meals, trips, liquor, drugs, women, or cute little boys from people, corporations or foreign countries."

People who have served the nation in government should consider it a great honor, not a free meal ticket to jump the line and cut out honest working Americans. And when they get out of government offices they should get in the back of the line like the rest of us and find ordinary jobs.

[Don Q.]

this is like the 2 hour late physician sticking a needle full of adrenaline into the chest of a cadaver that has assumed room temperature.

the only fix for this government is to end it and begin it again with strictly penalties for corrutioon, e.g.: DEATH

anyone who thinks any of this government is still on the up and up with a mere handful of those who cannot be bought, Rand Paul and his father, Ron amongst them, is a knave and a fool.

this is way too late to fix anything.

[Sick of it all]

Make lobbying visible: have all lobbyists meet in a public "Lobby" with their targets (congress) and have all aspects recorded for public consumption with video and audio. A large room with desks and no partitions for all to see. Want an appointment? All meetings picked by lottery and available for public scrutiny. No more golf junkets and fishing trips in Scotland. Have to hand it to Paul, this is a great idea. How about a public vote and mandate......enough of the royalty, insider trading, etc. Congress is the only inherently crimnal class of society.

[Texas Dar]

Feb 4, 2012 at 7:23 PM | Miguel Grande

Great idea, "But" seeing that we dont have room in our prisions for them all, we'll round them up, stake them down, and let lose the hungery hog's.............we can always find more " Pal-Low-Tich-Ions", if thAre still hungery...............................

[tja]

Much better solution: constitutional amendment for taxpayer funded elections - they can't take one penny of money, EVER from anyone while running for the nomination or as a candidate or while in public office - not even a lunch! They can listen to and meet with whomever they want, but nothing of value can be exchanged. And, they can't use their own money to campaign, either. Clause 2 should reverse Citizen's United - easy: clarify that the First Amendment only applies to real people - period!

[Cheyenne]

"they can't use their own money to campaign"

That would've blocked George Washington, which is bad.

Other than that, I'm pretty much on-board with stopping the rot.

[S. Gompers]

I like tja's idea, I live under those same rules, it is called a code of ethics, violation of same is a terminatable offense. We won't see politicians clamoring for it.

[Josie]

As Jack Abrahamoff said: They (Congress) are easy and relatively cheap to buy and corrupt. All people are weak. Just prey on those weaknesses. This is the basis for the whole lobbying system. It starts with corruptible people.

That said, I like Sick of it All's idea to bring lobbying out of the shadows.

I'll vomit some ideas: Make it public, recorded and subject to public scrutiny and maybe we can really see the clown show at its best. A detailed "lobbying" record (not just he showed, he talked, he walked) is created where comparisons can be made, analyzed and questioned. Now how that is done is another story. Congressional members must create and keep a daily lobbying "docket" document and submit it to their respective bodies for review, maybe a lobbying committee? How bout a lobbying building, where every lobbying effort takes place? Both parties sign in/out and all is recorded. Anybody ever call on WalMart? This is how most of the buying is done. Make it a Federal offense to conduct lobbying anywhere else but the lobbying center. People will be wearing masks in/out of that place. Why? because this is a shadow biz. Nobody knows who these people are for the most part, except insiders. That is why it works so well.

[john]

Josie,

You may be interested in this...

http://www.republicreport.org/


I like what I see here.

[Josie]

Thanks, John. 'Zactly what I'm talking about...Bring Berman and his ilk out from the shadows. Make him go on the record. Nobody, except his clients and targets, heard of Abrahamoff until he was indicted. Why? Many know how the system works and is corrupted, but not many know the players. Until they are publicly outed and branded, this sh!t does not stop...

[Jimmie]

Well Hello....I'm tired of these fellows sucking off hind tit. This goes for all of those scum balls in the House, Senate - congressmen....They forget they work for us. Why do they get all the goodies? Such as their own health insurance, their own social security - all the other perks - Get rid of the lobbyist and bring on term limits. Those men and women are in the political arena for their own good and what they can scam the taxpayers for. Believe me, I'm old and I know everything

[Bobby D]

I'm sure it's what the people want, but the the ones that will have to make it a law don't really care what the people want unless it will put more of our money in their pocket. It's like letting the people who are in jail run the jail. But it's a good idea that will never come to be.