Corruption poll 2010

[Asher]

This is an absurd exaggeration.

It's really not. Have you looked into the military industrial complex? Acts like the DMCA?

The government very, very frequently acts in response to corporate interests/lobby groups rather than the interests of their citizens.

If we got rid of campaign finance reform (McCain-Feingold) the problem would virtually go away

Yes, if you got rid of legislations limiting the impact of corporate interests, you would have no corporate bribery at all.

It's those pesky attempts to stop corporate bribery which are resulting in all of the corporate bribery.

[Al B. Sure!]

The ice cream business is a notoriously criminal, though.

I can never tell if you're joking or not but ice cream trucks do have a history of being associated with drug dealing and money laundering. You may be aware of this, however.

[Dauphin]

Which groups? - Well, the US paid that Taliban impersonator for a start.

[Asher]

I can never tell if you're joking or not but ice cream trucks do have a history of being associated with drug dealing and money laundering. You may be aware of this, however.

I'm not joking. It's patently clear why C0ckney made his fortune in the ice cream business in the UK then high-tailed it to a relatively lawless south american country.

[Krill]

Can someone define bribery for me. And distinguish it from "hospitality".

Zing.

[Hauldren Collider]

crap

Asher, McCain Feingold means that you can't donate more than $2000 dollars to a candidate. This means representatives have to have staffers spend almost all of their time trying to raise funds with "luncheons"--my dad is very familiar with the process as his law firm does some lobbying on capitol hill.

First of all, not all lobbying is bad. Most of it is basically just voter groups like the ACLU or NRA or anti-abortion groups or anti-war groups or industry experts or whatnot telling congressmen what they think public policy should be. It's one of the main ways congressmen stay informed about the subtleties of issues.

Second, since congressmen need to be constantly raising money, when they send emails out saying they'd be willing to have a luncheon or meeting with your group they have a "suggestion" that there will be a donation box where all your employees who attend can optionally donate to the campaign. Theoretically you don't have to but that's never done. And yeah, it is kind of a bribe--it's pay to play. You can't tell the congressman about your issue without paying. And without McCain Feingold, they wouldn't have to collect from individuals and could collect from nonprofits that individuals join. This makes more sense if you think about it.

Finally, these bribes only go to paying for the campaign. In the end, voters decide who gets elected and who doesn't. You can't buy votes. We saw this in the last election--candidates could outspend their opponents and still lose by wide margins. You need money to spread your message but voters have to like it too.

[Dauphin]

Offences of bribing another person
A person (“P”) is guilty of an offence if either of the following cases applies..
(2)Case 1 is where—.
(a)P offers, promises or gives a financial or other advantage to another person, and.
(b)P intends the advantage—.
(i)to induce a person to perform improperly a relevant function or activity, or.
(ii)to reward a person for the improper performance of such a function or activity.

So if I buy, say, a beer for a client, with the hope that my good natured offer might give me work....I am guilty of bribery. Under one interpretation of the law.

[Asher]

Asher, McCain Feingold means that you can't donate more than $2000 dollars to a candidate. This means representatives have to have staffers spend almost all of their time trying to raise funds with "luncheons"--my dad is very familiar with the process as his law firm does some lobbying on capitol hill.

The fact that the law is flawed does not mean it's a bad idea.

It should be illegal for corporations/people to give massive amounts of money to candidates directly or indirectly.

Canada has such legislations and as a result, we're not as corrupted by corporate interests as the US is. Additionally, since election budgets are so tiny, we don't need to suffer all of the retarded election commercials as often.

First of all, not all lobbying is bad. Most of it is basically just voter groups like the ACLU or NRA or anti-abortion groups or anti-war groups or industry experts or whatnot telling congressmen what they think public policy should be. It's one of the main ways congressmen stay informed about the subtleties of issues.

Lobbying when it's done with bribery is very bad. Very bad. Always.

It's fine to lobby for what you want, just don't do it with money, gifts, dinner, etc.

[Asher]

Hell, if my company has policies that expressly forbid me from accepting gifts, money, dinners, bribes, etc from people outside of the company for official company business, why the **** should the government not be held to the same standard?

[C0ckney]

I'm not joking. It's patently clear why C0ckney made his fortune in the ice cream business in the UK then high-tailed it to a relatively lawless south american country.