Are Your Congressmen Debating Under the Influence?

The answer to the titular question here is "most likely and we all know it." Congress has a problem being courted by moneyed interests that replace the interests of the Average American as the legislative priority. Often those interests conflict with the needs of the average American. When banks lobbied for and received "bankruptcy reform" in 2005 it was mostly at the expense of people who were going bankrupt because of medical costs. Yet, somehow enough lobbyists convinced enough members of Congress that these medical debtors were frauds, plain and simple, who were tired of being encumbered by the debts they so whimsically incurred. Either that or the lobbyists just threw Congress a buttload of money in exchange for their support.

This type of lawmaking is a problem and while we average folk are the victim, we are also to blame. While we wish the system would change, we continue to vote for the same greedy chumps without any question of where their allegiances will lie once sworn in. If these idiots are drunk on power then we are the enablers driving to the store to buy them another six-pack of power. And then we complain about what a bunch of no-good, powerholic, selfish traitors they are. We should instead be calling the shots. We should know where these people get their cash.

After doing a little search on the web I came across a few sites dedicated to the transparency of the flow of influence and money on Capitol Hill. I admit I only kicked the tires. I didn't take them out on the highway and redline 'em. That being said, I was encouraged with what I saw. I was taken with Influence Explorer because you can easily search by legislator, industry, corporation, etc. Pictured above is part of the result I got when searching for my House Representative Henry Waxman. Waxman has a good reputation for being a man of the people, but I thought a search on my homeboy would be a good place to start. What I am ultimately interested in finding is who is sitting down with what lobbyists and how this effects legislative outcomes.

Instead of watching the series of angering documentaries on how honest schnooks like us get played by bankers, and lobbyists who work in cahoots with the people who are supposed to be representing us, and feeling like there is no recourse, we should be calling our representatives and asking them where the hell they get their money from. Actually, taking that course of action invalidates the need for any of these sites, but it's still good to have a trove of  information. For instance, where else can you find out with the click of the mouse what two politicians have been the largest recipients of money from Exxon Mobil between 1999 and 2010. Here's a hint: they are the 43rd and 44th presidents respectively.

Enjoy!

http://sunlightfoundation.com/projects/
http://www.opensecrets.org/