Lobbyists-plank

PA's hope for open and transparent government is not going to materialize without changes.
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Let's break the cycle of hiring lobbyist and special interest influence. These acts need to be managed and organized so as to reverse the "flow" and change the status quo.
* Local leaders should not hire outsiders to lobby in Harrisburg nor in DC. Rather, local leaders should have the communication skills and capacity to deliver the proper messages at the right time to affect positive changes.
** Don't hire firms to lobby on our behalf of the people.
** Be prepared to lobby and take message to others who work in county, state and federal offices.
** Stay on top of developments and trends that are beyond our city's borders. The duty is for self-reliance and this is hard work that has to be done well with smart teamwork and messages.
* The best way to raise our influence and fix these ills is to:
** Elect smarter leaders.
** Be suspect of money to campaigns from lobby efforts.
===Think again===
* Leave our money on a local level. Don't send as much to DC. Rather let's starve the political machine of misery, and not reward it.
===After Service===
* Becoming a professional lobbyist is a non-starter. My pledge, when I retire from public office or can't get re-elected, is that I won't ever be a lobbyist. 
** I'm more interested in coaching and publishing. 
** Decades ago, former lawmakers rarely became lobbyists. The work of lobbyist was considered tainted and unworthy of once-elected officials. Now, former elected officials are becoming lobbyists. They get high salaries have increased the demand for lobbyists, play more musical-chairs among cronies, and altered the attitude about both lobbying appropriateness and accountability.
* I would support a lobbyist-disclosure bill for state government.
: In 2006, the PA State House Speaker John M. Perzel was seeking assistance from the state Supreme Court in drafting a lobbyist-disclosure bill that can withstand a constitutional challenge.
==Links==
* Lobbyists
category: Platform_Planks_from_Mark_Rauterkus
 category: democracy