Changes

===Corporate Lobbies===

===Corporate Lobbies===

Four years ago, the [[United States Supreme Court]] suggested that corporate spending to influence federal elections would not “give rise to [[corruption]] or the appearance of corruption,” the majority wrote in the landmark [[Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission]] decision. According to recent analysis by the Sunlight Foundation <ref>Allison, Bill and Harkins, Sarah, [http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2014/11/17/fixed-fortunes-biggest-corporate-political-interests-spend-billions-get-trillions Fixed Fortunes: Biggest corporate political interests spend billions, get trillions], Published November 17, 2014. Accessed March 20, 2015.</ref> <blockquote>"Between 2007 and 2012, 200 of America’s most politically active corporations spent a combined $5.8 billion (with a B) on federal lobbying and campaign contributions. What they gave pales compared to what those same corporations got: $4.4 trillion (with a T) in federal business and support. Putting that in context, the $4.4 trillion total represents two-thirds of the $6.5 trillion that individual taxpayers paid into the federal treasury. Said otherwise, by spending: a paltry $6 billion to bribe the US government, or just a little more than what [[General Motors|GM]] will spend on stock buybacks alone, US corporations are getting the direct benefit of two-thirds of US taxpayers' labor! And here is the visual representation of this stunning finding: for every dollar spent on influencing politics, the nation’s most politically active corporations received $760 from the government. Which translates into an Internal Rate Of Return of, hold on to your hats folks, 75,900%!"<ref>Durden, Tyler, "[http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-16/words-greatest-investment-every-dollar-spent-influencing-us-politics-corporations-ge The Best "Democracy" Money Can Buy: For Every Dollar Spent Influencing US Politics, Corporations Get $760 Back", [[Zero Hedge]], Published March 16, 2015. Accessed March 20, 2015.</ref></blockquote>

 

Historically, federal laws limited donations by corporations to the campaigns of candidates running for federal offices.  Laws limited these corporate campaign donations to avoid corruption or the appearance of corruption. The [[United States Supreme Court]] found that campaign spending was a form of speech and was protected by the First Amendment.  The Court suggested that corporate spending to influence federal elections would not “give rise to [[corruption]] or the appearance of corruption,” the majority wrote in the landmark ''[[Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission]]'' decision. According to recent analysis by the Sunlight Foundation <ref>Allison, Bill and Harkins, Sarah, [http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2014/11/17/fixed-fortunes-biggest-corporate-political-interests-spend-billions-get-trillions Fixed Fortunes: Biggest corporate political interests spend billions, get trillions], Published November 17, 2014. Accessed March 20, 2015.</ref> <blockquote>"Between 2007 and 2012, 200 of America’s most politically active corporations spent a combined $5.8 billion (with a B) on federal lobbying and campaign contributions. What they gave pales compared to what those same corporations got: $4.4 trillion (with a T) in federal business and support. Putting that in context, the $4.4 trillion total represents two-thirds of the $6.5 trillion that individual taxpayers paid into the federal treasury. Said otherwise, by spending: a paltry $6 billion to bribe the US government, or just a little more than what [[General Motors|GM]] will spend on stock buybacks alone, US corporations are getting the direct benefit of two-thirds of US taxpayers' labor! And here is the visual representation of this stunning finding: for every dollar spent on influencing politics, the nation’s most politically active corporations received $760 from the government. Which translates into an Internal Rate Of Return of, hold on to your hats folks, 75,900%!"<ref>Durden, Tyler, "[http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-16/words-greatest-investment-every-dollar-spent-influencing-us-politics-corporations-ge The Best "Democracy" Money Can Buy: For Every Dollar Spent Influencing US Politics, Corporations Get $760 Back]", Zero Hedge, (March 16, 2015). Accessed March 20, 2015.</ref></blockquote>

===[[Morality]]===

===[[Morality]]===

=== Right to Vote===

=== Right to Vote===

The woman [[suffragist]]s tried lobbying as well, but found their best success when they appealed to male voters at election time.   

The woman [[suffragist]]s tried lobbying as well, but found their best success when they appealed to male voters at election time.  Currently, lobbying focuses on redistricting reform and [[gerrymandering]].

=== Israel ===

=== Israel ===

The Israel Lobby refers to a coalition of Fundamentalist Protestants and major [[Jewish]] organizations. The lobby has strongly promoted American policies in the [[Middle East]] that are pro-[[Israel]].<ref>David Howard Goldberg, ''Foreign Policy and Ethnic Interest Groups: American and Canadian Jews Lobby for Israel'' (1990) [http://www.questia.com/read/27498528?title=Foreign%20Policy%20and%20Ethnic%20Interest%20Groups%3a%20American%20and%20Canadian%20Jews%20Lobby%20for%20Israel online edition]</ref>

The Israel Lobby refers to a coalition of Fundamentalist Protestants and major [[Jewish]] organizations. The lobby has strongly promoted American policies in the [[Middle East]] that are pro-[[Israel]].<ref>David Howard Goldberg, ''Foreign Policy and Ethnic Interest Groups: American and Canadian Jews Lobby for Israel'' (1990) [http://www.questia.com/read/27498528?title=Foreign%20Policy%20and%20Ethnic%20Interest%20Groups%3a%20American%20and%20Canadian%20Jews%20Lobby%20for%20Israel online edition]</ref>

=== Second Amendment Unalienable Rights ===

=== Right to Bear Arms===

The [[National Rifle Association]], the [[Second Amendment Foundation]], the [[Gun Owners of America]] and the [[Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership]] lobby to protect and defend the [[Second Amendment]] [[Unalienable rights|right]] to [[self-defense]].

The [[National Rifle Association]], the [[Second Amendment Foundation]], the [[Gun Owners of America]], and the [[Brady Campaign]] lobby on [[Second Amendment]] and gun control issues.

==Scandals==

==Scandals==

* Thompson, Margaret S. ''The "Spider Web": Congress and Lobbying in the Age of Grant'' (1985) on 1870s

* Thompson, Margaret S. ''The "Spider Web": Congress and Lobbying in the Age of Grant'' (1985) on 1870s

* Tichenor, Daniel J.  and Richard A. Harris, “Organized Interests and American Political Development,” Political Science Quarterly 117 (Winter 2002–3): 587–612 [http://www.soc.washington.edu/users/burstein/Tichenor_Organized_Interests.pdf online]

* Tichenor, Daniel J.  and Richard A. Harris, “Organized Interests and American Political Development,” Political Science Quarterly 117 (Winter 2002–3): 587–612 [http://www.soc.washington.edu/users/burstein/Tichenor_Organized_Interests.pdf online]

 

== See also ==

 

== See Also ==

* [[Soft money]]

* [[Soft money]]

==External Sites==

==External links==

* Durden, Tyler, "[http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-16/words-greatest-investment-every-dollar-spent-influencing-us-politics-corporations-ge The Best "Democracy" Money Can Buy: For Every Dollar Spent Influencing US Politics, Corporations Get $760 Back", [[Zero Hedge]], Published March 16, 2015.

* [http://www.commoncause.org/issues/money-in-politics/ Common Cause - Money in Politics]

 

==References==

==References==

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[[Category:Political Terms]]

[[Category:Political Terms]]