RE: [lpsf-discuss] Re: I'll get more of these for the discussion with Franklin

Discussion
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Given that the Teachers Association represents a relatively small slice
of the state's total employment, it's remarkable that it is the leading
individual lobbying organization. Look at the entire lobbying picture
from the site you mentioned. Looks like government and those taking
advantage of government's largess are still the largest lobbying
organizations. Even if one doesn't agree entirely with my
categorizations, it still looks to me like government spends way too
much lobbying for itself at our expense.

Government

Government $ 6,291,813
Health 4,555,102 (government subsidized)
Education 2,859,377
Labor Unions 1,503,965
Legal 855,845 (trial lawyers)
Agriculture 813,895 (government subsidized)
Transportation 713,481 (ditto)
Public Employees 608,903
Political Organizations 26,155

Total $ 18,202,381

Private

Manufacturing/Industrial 3,961,099
Finance & Insurance 3,167,927
Professional/Trade 2,270,935
Utilities 2,258,399
Oil & Gas 1,589,371
Real Estate 1,068,912
Entertainment & Recreation 892,590
Merchandise/Retail 554,168
Lodging/Restaurants 408,572

Total $ 16,171,973

On Behalf Of Franklin Schmidt

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Mike,

  With their extremely high levels of regulation and government-granted monopoly status, I would say that utilities belong on the "government" side of the ledger. However it's less clear to me that industries such as health, education, agriculture, and transportation belong there.

  As I see it, lobbying must really be divided into two distinct categories -- that which aims to *secure* subsidies and other government-granted advantages, and that which seeks to *remove* or *prevent* harmful regulations or other government takings or controls. A good fraction (though probably not the majority) of lobbying by organizations involved in transportation and agriculture, and even the more highly regulated fields of health care and education, must be designed to ameliorate government intervention rather than to seek it.

  Of course lobbying by unions and by divisions of government itself should also be divided into these two categories, but in those cases I suspect a much higher percentage of the lobbying falls into the harmful category. So your overall point about government and its rent-seekers being the main lobbyists seems valid to me. But perhaps Franklin or someone else can show some examples of unions lobbying for more freedom. None come immediately to mind.

Yours in liberty,
        <<< Starchild >>>

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When I was a senior at Baltimore
Polytechnic Institute, a public high school, for
some reason I was chosen as one of two
students to represent the school as a page
in the house of delegates. I was a staunch
liberal then, and I have to tell you it was an
absolute blast. I kissed a girl for the first time
in front of a store window on Annapolis
circle. The late state senator Lapides saw
me coming over to cruise a certain very hot
page. He asked me to retreive a bill from his
office. When I could not find it, he went with
me to his office, and attempted to ravage me
on the elevator. He accepted my resistence.
I guess I got the full monte experience.
There were a lot of pages over the course
the legislative session, with so many high
schools in Maryland. For each cadre of
pages we were wined and dined as group
by the biggest lobbyists in the best
restaurants in Annapolis. This everyone a
warm fuzzy feeling towards the lobbyists,
very smooth handsome tall well groomed
guys to aman. Doyle was one who stands
out, Harry Brown's clone from the dark side
of the force. Fancy restaurants were new to
this kid from Baltimore. I loved it. We felt
very important, and I dreamed of coming
back as a nice liberal delegate someday.
The corn beef at chick and ruths was also
terrific.

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--- In lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.
com, Derek Jensen
<derekj72@g...> wrote:

what does it mean "saw me

coming over to cruise a certain
very hot page." ?

Senator Lapides must have
noticed me staring lustilly at a
young Senate page. He, the
page, had long black hair, in a
conservative combed back style,
and a wrestler's build. He looked
very smart in the colonial
maryland yellow blazer with tight
black pants. Is that too much
information.

>
> When I was a senior at

Baltimore

> Polytechnic Institute, a public

high school, for

> some reason I was chosen as

one of two

> students to represent the

school as a page

> in the house of delegates. I

was a staunch

> liberal then, and I have to tell

you it was an

> absolute blast. I kissed a girl

for the first time

> in front of a store window on

Annapolis

> circle. The late state senator

Lapides saw

> me coming over to cruise a

certain very hot

> page. He asked me to

retreive a bill from his

> office. When I could not find

it, he went with

> me to his office, and

attempted to ravage me

> on the elevator. He accepted

my resistence.

> I guess I got the full monte

experience.

> There were a lot of pages

over the course

> the legislative session, with so

many high

> schools in Maryland. For each

cadre of

> pages we were wined and

dined as group

> by the biggest lobbyists in the

best

> restaurants in Annapolis. This

everyone a

> warm fuzzy feeling towards

the lobbyists,

> very smooth handsome tall

well groomed

> guys to aman. Doyle was one

who stands

> out, Harry Brown's clone from

the dark side

> of the force. Fancy

restaurants were new to

> this kid from Baltimore. I loved

it. We felt

> very important, and I dreamed

of coming

> back as a nice liberal

delegate someday.

> The corn beef at chick and

ruths was also

> terrific.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

--
View my blog at http://derekj72.

blogspot.com

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