Saturday, March 04, 2006
Family Research Council: Senators Looking to Mow Down Grassroots
Family Research Council has been worried for the past few weeks regarding the attempts by the Congress to silence grassroots efforts as a form of "lobbyist reform." I have yet to read the bill that has caused such angst, but if FRC's reading is correct, this is something that calls for action on our part. Below is a portion of their release.
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Unconstitutional and Unfair Lobbying Restrictions
The Lieberman-Levin Amendment passed through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Reform Committee yesterday on a vote of 10-6. This is a bad move. It would place burdensome restrictions on what Congress calls "grassroots lobbying." Lobbying, as the name implies, is something that occurs here in Washington. The word was invented to describe what went on in the lobby of the old Willard Hotel. But it didn't start there. These new restrictions would hamper our ability to tell you what your elected Members of Congress are up to--and what you can do about it. The Abramoff scandal, which has prompted the latest round of "reform" legislation, was a classic case of corruption in "direct" lobbying. A lobbyist buttonholes a Member and offers improper inducements in exchange for that Member's vote. This amendment is a red herring; it takes the focus off the corruption surrounding high-paid lobbyists, and attempts to make non-profit citizens groups the whipping boy. It is an infringement upon our freedom of speech and will only enhance the powers of the media to dominate the information the America public receives. The full Senate should protect the constitutional right of citizens to petition Congress by stripping this misguided amendment when the measure reaches the Senate floor.
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Unconstitutional and Unfair Lobbying Restrictions
The Lieberman-Levin Amendment passed through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Reform Committee yesterday on a vote of 10-6. This is a bad move. It would place burdensome restrictions on what Congress calls "grassroots lobbying." Lobbying, as the name implies, is something that occurs here in Washington. The word was invented to describe what went on in the lobby of the old Willard Hotel. But it didn't start there. These new restrictions would hamper our ability to tell you what your elected Members of Congress are up to--and what you can do about it. The Abramoff scandal, which has prompted the latest round of "reform" legislation, was a classic case of corruption in "direct" lobbying. A lobbyist buttonholes a Member and offers improper inducements in exchange for that Member's vote. This amendment is a red herring; it takes the focus off the corruption surrounding high-paid lobbyists, and attempts to make non-profit citizens groups the whipping boy. It is an infringement upon our freedom of speech and will only enhance the powers of the media to dominate the information the America public receives. The full Senate should protect the constitutional right of citizens to petition Congress by stripping this misguided amendment when the measure reaches the Senate floor.
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Permalink posted by Rob Huddleston @ 1:25 PM 
