61 Lobbyists for each Elected Representative

Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet, tells us that there are sixty-one lobbyists for each elected representative in Congress. Visit her YouTube channel to hear more about how our democracy is being (or has been!) taken from us. Her newest book, Getting a Grip: Clarity, Creativity and Courage in a World Gone Mad, is an eloquent and passionate plea for us to embrace a new alternative to the trend of billion-dollar politics. She supports the Fair Elections Now Act- S.752, H.R.1826. We can back the work of Change.org, YouStreet.org, and PublicCampaign.org. We do have the power. We just have to exercise that power.

"In 2009, health care-related companies and special interest groups spent more than $544 million on federal lobbying efforts -- obliterating their previous high from the year before. And a number of companies and entities that have lobbied heavily on health care reform -- the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, AARP, Pfizer, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the American Medical Association -- all rank within the United States' top 10 federal lobbying clients of 2009."

Capital Eye Blog, Dave Levinthal

LOBBYING

Top Spenders

  All years (1998-2009)  2009  2008  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999  1998 

Lobbying Client	Total
US Chamber of Commerce	$144,496,000
Exxon Mobil	$27,430,000
Pharmaceutical Rsrch & Mfrs of America	$26,150,520
General Electric	$25,520,000
Pfizer Inc	$24,619,268
Blue Cross/Blue Shield	$22,715,439
AARP	$21,010,000
American Medical Assn	$20,830,000
Chevron Corp	$20,815,000
National Assn of Realtors	$19,477,000
American Beverage Assn	$18,850,000
American Hospital Assn	$18,347,176
ConocoPhillips	$18,069,858
Verizon Communications	$17,820,000
FedEx Corp	$17,050,000
Boeing Co	$16,850,000
BP	$15,990,000
National Cable & Telecommunications Assn	$15,980,000
Northrop Grumman	$15,180,000
AT&T Inc	$14,729,673

NOTE: All lobbying expenditures on this page come from the Senate Office of Public Records. Data for the most recent year was downloaded on February 01, 2010. Source of this table: Center for Responsive Politics.

Be Part of the World's Greatest Bank Job

Fix Congress to Restore Trust in Our Democracy

"Democracy is not what we have, it is what we do."
Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Blythe Lappé

Go With Grass, Not Grain

Against The Grain

At Mother Earth News, Richard Manning, author of Against the Grain, tells how to heal the damage to the American landscape that has been caused by industrial agriculture, how properly managed grazing builds soil and restores fertility. Manning says, "It would give us a more humane livestock system, a healthier human diet, less deadly E.coli, elimination of feedlots, a bonanza of wildlife habitat nationwide, enormous savings in energy, virtual elimination of pesticides and chemical fertilizers on those lands, elimination of catastrophic flooding that periodically plagues the Mississippi Basin, and most intriguingly, a dramatic reduction in global warming gases." Read his article here:

The Amazing Benefits of Grass-fed Meat
Converting cropland to perennial pastures produces healthier meat, builds better soil and combats climate change.
by Richard Manning

Imagine a World Without Fish

Director Rupert Murray says, "The End of the Line tells the almost unbelievable story of how our oceans all over the world are being systemically emptied of fish, a process that could be complete by the middle of this century... This not just an environmental issue. This is a people issue. It affects everyone on the planet... The first step in becoming aware is to watch The End of the Line, tell as many people as possible, the second step is buy only sustainably caught seafood. The third step is to join the growing number of voices calling for large "no take' zones in the sea. A world without fish is something no one in their right mind wants to see."

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch is a great source of information about ocean issues and sustainability. Check out their Super Green List to learn which sustainable foods from the ocean are highest in Omega-3 EFAs, supplying at least the minimum daily amount of 250 mg.

Use the Seafood Watch widget to find out what fish you should and should not be eating. People taking action can make a difference. You can increase the chance that the tide of destruction caused by over fishing will be turned around. Our oceans are in crisis, so, please send the widget and information about the movie The End of the Line to as many of your friends as you can!