Forget D or R. Check million-dollar pre-buying of Senate and Congress

Former BJ labor writer and later union flak Curt Brown got me thinking with his email stating: 78 members of Congress have family members who are lobbyists working on contracts worth $2 billion.

It’s worst than that, Curt. Those who leave office are reaping millions of dollars as “lobbyists” to the companies they were supposed to protect the public against.

How profitable is it for Congress and Senate members to become lobbyists after they leave office: On average, their pay jumps 1,452%!

Former Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) fought derivatives reforms for a year before he left office to become a lobbyist for Goldman Sachs, a derivatives trading company.

Former Congressman Billy Tauzin (R-LA), who retired from Congress in 2005 after leading the passage of President Bush’s prescription drug expansion written by lobbyists, made $19.3 million in five years as a lobbyist for pharmaceutical companies.

Former Congressman Cal Dooley (D-CA) has made at least $4.7 million as a lobbyist for food manufacturers and the chemical industry from 2005 to 2009 after his retirement from Congress. His annual pay is up 1,357% over his last Congressional yearly paycheck.

Former Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), hired as a Motion Picture Association of America lobbyist, makes $1.5 million a year – a 762% pay raise from his Senate paychecks.

Former Congressman and NFL player Steve Largent (R-OK) has $8.8 million as a lobbyist for a coalition of cell phone companies and related wireless industry interests, a 912% pay raise. 

Former Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) makes $2.1 million as an unregistered lobbyist for  health insurance and medical device companies. That’s a 1,228% pay raise.

Former Congressman Richard Baker (R-LA), who helped loosen Wall Street regulations, got  $3.2 million as a hedge fund lobbyist, a 956% pay hike.

Former Congressman James Greenwood (R-PA) got $6.6 milion as a biotechnolog lobbyist, a 671% revenue increase.

Former Congressman Glenn English (D-OK), who diluted climate reform efforts, got $9.2 million from coal-dependent electric cooperatives. That’s a 1,504% pay raise.

 Former Congressman Steve Bartlett (R-TX) got $9.1 million as a lobbyist for investment banks. 1,770% pay jump.

Since current members of the Senate and Congress are well aware of this $$$ revolving door, who thinks that their votes today are not influenced by the visions of millions of dollars in their bank accounts tomorrow?

To read the entire Republic Report article, click on http://www.republicreport.org/2012/make-it-rain-revolving-door/