Money, power, and Congress: how lobbyists will determine the fate of SOPA
Some frightening things in this post on The Verge:
According to Politico, Allison Halatei, former Deputy Chief of Staff to House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, and Lauren Pastarnack, a Senate Judiciary Committee Senior Aide, just accepted jobs with two of the lobbying firms backing SOPA and PIPA. Halatei and Pastarnack helped write the bills. Halataei is now the National Music Publisher’s Association chief liaison to Congress, and Pasternak is now the director of government relations for the MPAA.
But wait, there’s more:
Chris Dodd, who served as a senator for thirty years, is now the Chairman and CEO of the MPAA. As a senator, Dodd swore he’d never take money from lobbyists, but he now reaps a $1.5 million base salary and a $100 million lobbying budget. Lobbying is one art form the entertainment industry doesn’t mind investing heavily in: SOPA’s 32 co-sponsors received four times more in campaign contributions from the entertainment industry than from the tech industry.
Remember when Dodd was trolling in presidential debates back in ‘07?
However, the article does mention the bright spot in this sea of corruption:
Policymakers are more interested in taking positions than making great laws, because positions are more valuable for grabbing votes. Knowing that a massive public outcry over SOPA and PIPA may threaten their offices more than pressure from interest groups, sponsors of the bills have dialed back their enthusiasm for their most controversial provisions.
In short, it’s more important than ever to be vocal about opposing such poorly written, broadly affecting legislation. The internet, in its infinite extent, has been very vocal about it’s opposition. But it needs to remain clear. We can’t sit and expect this one to get solved without some serious public outcry. Votes mean more than money because without votes, Congressman lose access to that money. If it’s clear no one associated with the bill is getting any votes, then Congress will have to listen. SOPA and PIPA may be stagnated for now, but rest-assured that they’ll be back in some form soon. Help make sure that it’s the right form.
Source: vistatecnologica
