Healthcare industry spending $1.4 million - a day - on lobbyists

[Guest guest]

Companion piece:http://www.opednews.com/articles/Did-you-vote-for-a-lobbyis-by-Paul-Kruger-090625-914.htmlJune 26, 2009Did you vote for a lobbyist?By Paul KrugerLobbyists on a Roll: Gutting Reform on Banking, Energy, and Health CareI do not recall voting to elect any lobbyist to represent me.Please do not sell out 50,000,000 Americans who are without health care.Please do not sell out 3180,000,000 adults who want clean air for their children.Please do not sell out 305,000,000 who need energy alternatives now.Please do not sell out 305,000,000 who need honest and affordable loans.Do not allow Congress to hold the American people hostage to private well funded corporate interests. They do not speak for anyone but themselves. The American people who elect members of Congress do not vote for nor do they select lobbyists to speak for them.============http://www.opednews.com/populum/linkframe.php?linkid=92556Healthcare industry spending $1.4 million - a day - on lobbyistsPosted By John Byrne On June 26, 2009 @ 11:53 am  The healthcare industry is spending upwards of $1.4 million each day on average to lobby members of Congress on health care legislation, a report issued by Common Cause this week reveals.Industry spending has nearly doubled since 2000. Healthcare interests contributed $94 million to Congress members during the 2008 election cycle alone — up from $40 million in 2000.Common Cause’s report has received almost no treatment in the press — with a single article in Bloomberg News and one in the National Journal.The industry is attempting to alter the course of Democrats’ plans to provide universal health coverage for most Americans.“The top recipients of health industry campaign contributions from 2000 to 2008 are new Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AK) at $7.3 million and $6.3 million respectively,” National Journal reports. “All of the campaign finance data used in the report came from the Center for Responsive Politics.“The report concludes that members of Congress face a disheartening conflict of interest: side with their large campaign donors or back reform measures that have support from the public, like the public plan option which would create a publicly-funded health insurance entity to compete with private insurers,” the site adds.The full Common Cause report is available here. =====In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.