The Evolution of United States Immigration Policy!!

The blog on the Evolution of United States Immigration Policy by Ayshelle King was a very informative article.  The blog was very interesting and informative.  A enjoyable read.  I thought the facts were well presented in easy to follow chronological order without going overboard with information.   I agree with it is almost impossible to implement a National Immigration Policy that makes everyone happy.  The point about the public opinion goes back and forth was very well made.  My only suggestion is that the article should have a little more on the polices that are in place and how they effect the country.  This problem, like many others, have been pushed to back burner due to the War on Terror but is moving to the front due to the economic times.

Lobbyist Out of Control

Lobbyists and political action committees are a real threat to the democratic process and leave the average voter powerless.  

In 2009,  3.48 billion dollars was spent lobbying by 13,644 lobbyists.  This is down from previous years due to the economy.  The two largest categories are health, and insurance/financial.  Out of the health fields, Pharmaceutical  companies spent $267,893,947 on lobbying. From the Finance category, Insurance companies spent an estimated $120,627,007.

One of the classic examples of lobbyist influence is AIDS research.  A disproportionate amount of the Federal research budget is spent on AIDS are a result of the AIDS/HIV Lobby.  AIDS is not even among the top 15 causes of death in United States.  Despite the dramatic decline in deaths, funding for AIDS research and treatment has skyrocketed-largely as a result of successful lobbying.  

To put into prospective, $164,000 per AIDS death is spent by the National Institute Health from its AIDS research budget compare this to $7,713 for each death from cancer, $6,949 per death from diabetes or $8,608 per death from breast cancer. 

On a more local level,  in the state of Texas, 1690 lobbyists spent $344 million in 2009.  This amount lower than the previous years due to troubled economy.   The most upsetting of these facts is that taxpayer dollars are spent to hire lobbyists. School districts and cities hire lobbyists.   For example Houston paid up $1.3 million to hire lobbyist and San Antonio  paying up $640,000 lobbyists.

Lobbying has a showbiz aspect.  Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Paul Simon, George Clooney, Cher, Jessica Alba, Tony Bennett, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Garner, Ashley Judd, LeAnn Rimes, Don Cheadle, Fran Drescher, Lyle Lovett  are some of the many celebrity lobbyists.  Some are hired and others are passionate about the causes they represent.  Research monies for Parkinson's Diease have increased since Michael J. Fox testified before Congress.  No one says no to seeing celebrities.

If just corporate lobbying could be eliminated or limited, the government could be returned to the American people. What if it were illegal for politicians to accept "anything" from lobbyists?  Would they vote from a position moral responsibility instead of that of the payoff?