Lobbying: The People's Voice or Corporate Corruption?

Vocabulary Review

Bad rap - a negative reputation.

Example: The new teacher has a bad rap for being very strict.

Lobbying - the act of trying to influence a government or a politician.

Example: The company's goal is to increase their lobbying efforts this year.

Corrupt - dishonest or illegal, especially for personal gain.

Example: The company had a corrupt CEO who used company money for himself.

Persuade - to make someone believe or do something by giving reasons.

Example: I will try to persuade my parents to let me go to the movies tonight.

Block - to stop something from happening or moving forward.

Example: The senator vowed to block the new bill from becoming a law.

Legislation - a law or a group of laws.

Example: The president signed the new education legislation today.

Controversial - causing a lot of public debate or disagreement.

Example: The artist's new painting was very controversial.

Expertise - special knowledge or skill in a particular area.

Example: We need a doctor with a lot of expertise for this difficult surgery.

Unethical - something that most people think is wrong, bad, or unfair.

Example: It is unethical to lie to people when you are selling something.

Disproportionate - too large or too small when compared to something else (not balanced).

Example: In our 40 minute meeting, Tom spoke for a disproportionate amount of time; he talked for almost the whole time and nobody else could talk.

Considering - thinking carefully about a decision or a plan.

Example: He is considering a job offer in a new city.

Lobbying: The People's Voice or Corporate Corruption?

Lobbying has a bad rap. Most people hear the word lobbying and immediately think of corrupt government systems where rich people can secretly control the laws. But what exactly is lobbying?

To be specific, lobbying is simply when someone tries to influence government decisions, someone who tries to do this is called a lobbyist. Basically, lobbyists talk to government officials and lawmakers and attempt to persuade them to pass, block, or change specific legislation.

In the United States, lobbying is not only legal, but it is even a protected right mentioned in the First Amendment. The First Amendment of the United States says that people will always have the right to formally request laws to be changed if the people do not agree with them.

So, is Lobbying good or bad?

However, lobbying is quite controversial, and there are strong arguments that both support and criticize the act of lobbying. 

On the one hand, some say that lobbying is a fundamental and essential part of a true democratic system. These people say that lobbying is the only way that everyone can have their voices heard and without the ability to lobby, such people would likely be ignored. Additionally, lobbyists often provide lawmakers with detailed information and offer their expertise to lawmakers, thereby allowing lawmakers to make properly informed decisions. 

On the other hand, other people argue that lobbying creates an unfair and unethical system where money talks louder than the people. Corporations are able to spend enormous amounts of money to hire powerful, well-connected, professional lobbyists who are friends with lawmakers. This gives corporations and rich people a disproportionate amount of influence over government decisions compared to the average citizen. For example, if the government is considering a law that will prevent corporations from causing air pollution, a company that wants to save money by polluting the air could hire a team of scientists and a professional lobbyist. They could then argue that "polluting the air is not so bad" and that the law should not be passed. Basically, people who criticize lobbying think that rich corporations can control laws so that they can make more money and not have to be ethical.

Did you know?

A controversial example of lobbying can be found in the American pharmaceutical industry (also called "Big Pharma"). Big Pharma spends nearly 350 million dollars per year on lobbying. Lobbyists hired by pharmaceutical companies have been responsible for numerous laws being blocked that would have banned dangerous medicines and lowered the cost of prescription drugs in America. Critics argue that this is a clear demonstration of how rich companies can selfishly control laws so that they can profit and put their needs ahead of the general population's.

Concept Questions:

• Why do you think lobbying has a "bad rap," as the article says?

• Before reading this article, had you heard of lobbying before?

• Do you think there is anything unethical about hiring professional lobbyists?

• The article defines lobbying as trying to "persuade" government officials. What are some of the different ways someone could try to persuade a politician to do something?

Discussion Questions

• If you could lobby legislation to make your country healthier, how would you do it?

• Do you think it's fair that people with more money can influence laws more than people with less money?

• Do you think that government should control the laws, or should they instead do what the citizens say?

• Some people think that citizens should be forced to vote on all things that the government does, would this be good or bad?

• Do you trust modern medicine, or are you worried about the side effects of these modern medicines?

• Do you think prescription medicine should be free?