I Know One Thing About Congressman Ron Blum (R-IA): He's Awesome

This guy. All of this guy.

Blum, a freshman lawmaker, argued his bill would help limit lobbyists' influence on the legislative process so members of Congress won't feel pressured to cater to their wishes for their own self-interest.

"This bill would finally close the revolving door between Congress and special interest groups, restoring integrity to our political system and ensuring that politicians focus on representing their constituents instead of catering to lobbying groups who offer a lucrative post-electoral career," Blum said in a statement.

This lifetime ban on lobbying is another step in that effort to make Congress more accountable to the people by reducing the incentive for our elected officials to use their position for their own personal gain," Blum added.

Why is this quixotic campaign important?

Lobbying has grown in direct proportion to government spending, with special interest groups consistently spending almost exactly $1 million for every billion dollars in federal expenditures.

The correlation suggests that while liberal politicians portray K Street lobbyists as villains ruining Washington, it may be Big Government policies that attract them, according to a Washington Examiner analysis.

The money spent on lobbying rose from $1.5 billion in 1998 to a high of $3.6 billion in 2010, during President Obama's stimulus package. During that same time period, spending grew from $1.7 trillion to $3.5 trillion.

It's hard to say which drives the other....do lobbyist create government spending or does an ever increasing government drive the need for lobbyists?

That's an interesting academic question and the answer is likely, yes.

But Blum is on the right track. You have to break the cycle at some point and this is a great way to do it. Stop making Congress a career path to life in Washington. Oh and if his bill doesn't already, add staffers to it.

posted by DrewM. at 12:50 PM

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