While opponents to public financing argue that there is no problem with lobbying, and that money given to politicians is not meant to influence congressional action, they may find that argument harder to make after the recent actions of one of nation's top 10 corporate donors to politicians.
According to a Washington Post article, The National Association of Home Builders has donated $1.5 million to both Republicans and Democrats during the current election cycle. However, this past Thursday, the NAHB announced they were cutting off the federal government. Possibly angered by the lack of certain legislation being included in the federal budget, the NAHB has announced they will no longer be contributing to any national campaigns.
The legislation pushed by the NAHB's BUILD-PAC, the nations 17th largest PAC, included provisions to reduce tax liability for home builders and to allow states to issue tax-exempt bonds to finance low-rate mortgages. However, as the Washington Post points out, neither was included in the final bill signed by President Bush.
While lobbyists don't like to admit it, donors are giving money for a reason. They want a return on their investment. And therein lies the problem. The NAHB lobbyists don't work for the people, they work for the National Association of Home Builders. And the same is true for all corporate lobbyists; they work for their corporation, not for the everyday person. The NAHB has just set a scary precedent to legislators. If a corporation gives you money, you better do what they ask, and if not, say good-bye to your funding.
Legislators should have their constituents' needs as their top priority, not those of big corporations. Under the current system, the constituents can be easily forgotten. We need a stronger system of public financing. We need our government to listen to the voices of the people, not the voices of big business.
