Would you support "Dick Cheney Anti-Corruption Bill" ?

[yurbud]

One of the things Nancy Pelosi included in her proposal to curb corruption was doubling the amount of time congressmembers and their staff would be banned from serving as lobbyists.

I propose we go further.

We need a Dick Cheney Bill to not only slow the revolving door but weld it shut.

The president, vice president, cabinet, senators, and generals at the pentagon should be banned for LIFE from serving as corporate or financial institution lobbyist, corporate officers, or board members.

Since Congressmen theoretically could serve shorter terms and turn over more often, their lobbying and job ban should be equal to the amount of time they serve in Congress since the more seniority they have, the more power they have and likelihood of being targeted for recruitment after they serve.

If they violate this ban, at the very least they should be strip of their public pension.

Obviously, sometimes the right decision for an elected official will look like it favors corporate America, but the only way we can be sure that the decision is based on the interests of average Americans not just securing a donation or future job is to weld that door shut.

Obviously, this would only work in conjunction with campaign finance reform like public financing of elections, but others have done a bette job of describing that.

Would you support a Dick Cheney Bill?

[Warpy]

1. Dunno if we can prevent them from serving as corporate

officers or board members, especially if they'd held those positions prior to entering public office. However, they need to be banned from lobbying for life.

We don't want to prevent them from making a living. We just need to nail that revolving door between Congress and K Street shut forever.

The same goes for most government offices. If they want to be lobbyists, let them do that. If they want to enter public service, then let them do that. However, the twain shall never meet. All the revolving doors between Wall St. and the SEC, between the FDA and Big Pill, and between every single agency in this country, especially the Pentagon, needs to have that door to K Street barred to them forever.

Let K Street recruit from corporations, if they must. Government at all levels is off limits

[yurbud]

3. they would make a living even if they never worked again--PENSIONS

they get extremely generous pensions.

The difficulty with JUST banning them from lobbying is that having a job on a corporate board or as a corporate officer waiting for them after there term ends could influence them while they are still in office. Likewise, it works the other way too as we saw with Cheney. He brought his loyalties to Halliburton in with him.

Limiting it to just lobbyists would mean they would just rearrange the deck chairs to do the same things.

[elehhhhna]

5. Yep. Ban them & their FAMILIES for life.

Those wives are raking a pretty penny, too, and some of them (can ya hear me Christine?) need to get a taste of prison.

[Rosemary2205]

2. A little too much for my taste

I have no problem if they get corporate jobs post government service but I agree once they serve as lobbyists they should not be allowed to run for office and once they are in office they should never be allowed to be lobbyists.

[yurbud]

4. who do you think lobbyists work for? Dick Cheney wasn't a lobbyist

He was a corporate officer.

That has had a pretty corrosive effect on how he does business as VP.

[elehhhhna]

6. Yeah. Maybe we should stop "electing" flat-out WAR PROFITEERS.

[Deja Q]

7. It's either resolved or it isn't. "slowing the door down" does no good,

for it only allows those with the most $ to participate - no shock there.

[yurbud]

14. I agree. That's why it should be a lifetime ban stating at the top.

[DrDebug]

8. Depends on the company / organization and especially the size

A board member of an organization with five offices and 100 people is quite different from a board member of Halliburton. The first would not be a real problem, since the overall impact of that company would be limited and there wouldn't be real lobbying, so there would not necessarily be a need for a person to give up that position. And there are probably other aspects to consider.

[yurbud]

9. I would say if they want to work at a mom & pop coffee shop or hardware

store.

[rumpel]

16. However, what stops him creating his own "mom & pop store" with investor

capital of 200 million? wink wink

[Kalisiin]

10. Here's A Caveat

Supposing a former member of Congress started their own business after retiring, or being voted out. And that company was successful, and incorporated, and went public. Are you going to say that it's founder should not be allowed to be on the BOD of that company?

Just as an example, the Kohl's department store was started by, I believe, a Senator or Congressman from Minnesota. (someone correct me if I'm wrong on this point)

I DO think that former high government officials should be banned from LOBBYING for life, no question. They have way too much power and influence, as a result of being former members of the body politic.

I see nothing wrong with former Senators or Congressmen being ADVISORS to corporations, or even training lobbyists. But they, themselves, should be barred from ever being bought and paid lobbyists. Unless they are lobbying for a non-profit whose goals benefit the greater good of the American people.

for example, I would not have a problem with a former member of Congress being a lobbyist for, say, Greepeace...or maybe an AIDS charity...or any number of other worthwhile causes.

What they should be banned from is being CORPORATE LOBBYISTS. Even worse...PAID CORPORATE LOBBYISTS. I don't have a problem with them lobbying, however, for causes they truly care about...when those causes serve the betterment of the American PEOPLE.

[yurbud]

13. how would your proposal stop Dick Cheney type corruption?

He was a corporate officer.

I could even see your start up example being an opportunity for corruption if the elected official let lobbyist know he was planning it, so they could give him some delayed patronage.

We give senators and presidents very generous pensions, and none of them will go begging after they are out of office.

I would allow slightly looser rules for Congrssmen, though I stand by the ban equally the time in office.

I also have no problem with them lobbying for advocacy groups, and in fact this proposal would probably benefit them since pols would not have much to do after they leave office.

[Kalisiin]

15. Well

this was a scenario in which said former Congressman started his own business. Any other scenario, he simply would no longer be allowed to run for Congress again. But there shouldn't be a problem with him being on BOD of his own company that he started up.

Chances are, in my scenario, the guy wouldn't WANT to leave the company he started up...to go back into politics.

I'm not even sure that we could make such restrictions...even if those in power would vote for them (and they won't.) Not even sure such laws would be Constitutional. Or even enforceable or desireable.

But it makes for interesting discussion.

And, yes, something does need to be done...but I think some people are proposing something far too extreme, something unattainable, something which would never pass thru Congress, something which is likely unenforceable, and may even be unConstitutional.

[rumpel]

17. This would not be necessary, when campaigns are run with equal public

financing.

on edit, actually wanted to reply to the main post. sorry

[DanCa]

11. Everyone is lumping all lobbyist together i need details.

Remember what applies to republicans can and will be used to hurt democrats as well.
I say this as someone who does lobby for health care disability stem cell and parkinsons research.

[yurbud]

12. I made a distinction between corporate & finance lobbyist and others

obviously issues advocacy is something else entirely, especially since they don't have the same kind of bucks to throw around as banks,oil, pharma, etc.

[Swamp Rat]

18. The penalty for breaking the law should include a minimum of 10 years in

a maximum security prison and forfeiture of all assets, including assets in the name of immediately family members. Then, the criminal must do 10 years minimum of hard labor as community service, digging ditches, picking up trash along highways, etc. no matter what the age of the parolee.

Punishment MUST be severe in the extreme for corrupt politicians.