This past August, gave final approval to a package of new ethics and lobbying rules with an overwhelming majority of and agreeing to improve policing themselves and their relationships.

DOES ANYONE SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE ABOVE STATEMENT???

Yes, on the surface Congress banned gifts, meals and travel paid for by lobbyists and extended the wait period to two years before Congresspeople can become a lobbyist. And yes, Congress was very pleased with themselves and their efforts to curb the rampant corruption in Washington and beyond.

However, the reality of the situation is that it is still business as usual with special interest lobbyists and lobbying not missing a beat.

Senator John McClain (R-AZ) opposed the legislation saying it did far too little, stating, “We are passing up a great opportunity and again the American people will have been deceived.

Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) said that, “Congress has turned into a great favor factory for special interests.”

DeMint goes on to say, “The bill is actually worse than doing nothing because it preserves business as usual and fools people into thinking that things are fixed!”

As it turned out, all of the efforts to block legislation were unsuccessful due to the eagerness of the Democratic leaders to make good on their promise to take control of Congress.

The Democrats claim the legislation is designed to limit the social interaction between lobbyists and lawmakers, making it more difficult for them to get together at sporting events, parties and national political conventions and other social activities.

So, after all of the hoopla, what actually has changed?

Lobbying is still the third largest enterprise in our nation’s capital after government and tourism with an estimated 32,890 full-time professional lobbyists registered by Congress!

This is the first part in a series…..