| The Abramoff scandal has spurred one of the episodic "reform" moments on Capitol Hill...But there is far too little attention being devoted to what exactly is provided in exchange for the favors that lobbyists bestow on members of Congress.
Those gifts -- the campaign contributions, the airplane rides, the visits to resorts disguised as speech opportunities -- are not really gifts as such. They are more like investments (or quasi-bribes). And they are investments that pay back beyond the dreams of the greediest Wall Street prospector, in the form of corporate welfare: grants and direct subsidies, government giveaways, bailouts, tax subsidies, loopholes and other escapes, below-market loans and loan guarantees, export and overseas marketing assistance, pork for defense, transportation and other companies, regulatory removals, immunities from civil justice liability, and a host of other government-provided benefits. |
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At www.counterpunch.org
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