Money from Healthcare Lobbyist Tastes like Candy to Congress

So far this year health care industry lobbyists have handed out $290 million to Congress in an effort to slow progress or change minds about health care reform. The Pharmaceutical/health products industry alone has given $134.4 million. The lobbyists are giving out money and Congress is acting like kids in a candy store, swooping up large amounts for their future campaign coffers.
A group of ten Republican Senators has taken $17.7 million from health care lobbyists this year. Nine of those senators have signed a letter stating their opposition to the public health care plan, a plan that would bring about competition between the government and the private health care industry, and probably help lower prices.
The nine members who signed the letter and took the money were: Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Orin Hatch of Utah, John Kyle of Arizona, Jim Dunning of Kentucky, Mike Crapo of Indiana, Pat Roberts of Kansas, John Ensign of Nevada and John Cornyn of Texas. One senator, Olympia Snowe of Maine took $1.1 million but refused to sign the letter. Kudos to you Sen. Snowe.
All ten of these Republicans are major players in the health care reform debate because they are all on the Senate Finance Committee. They will have a lot to say about how much money will be spent on health care reform.
Almost all members of Congress have received, on average, about $600,000, but the Senators mentioned above have received much more. Another group who has taken more candy from lobbyists than the average are members of the Democrat's Blue Dog group.
The Blue Dogs are a group of 52 Democrats who say they are dedicated to fiscal conservation and are worried about the expense of health care reform on small business. The Blue Dogs are also against the government's public health care plan that would place competition on the health care industry.The Blue Dogs who have taken the most candy from lobbyists include: Bart Gordon of Tennessee; who received $1.4 million, Jim Matheson of Utah; who has taken in $1 million and Mike Ross of Arkansas who has shoved nearly a million into his pocket.
The health care industry has been busy this year. Pharmaceuticals/health products lobbyists have shelled out $134.4 million, the insurance industry have offered $81.5 million, health care professionals have given $39.4 million and HMO's have given $34.5 million.
Do you think they are giving this money away because they like these politicians? They like them all right, as long as they are voting in the interests of their industry. You do not spend this kind of money unless you want something in return. You do not take this kind of money from anyone unless you understand you owe them something in return - which the exception of Sen. Snowe of course. While she has not signed the letter like the rest of her committee, you have to wonder how she will vote in the end.
Since you and I don't have millions to stuff in Congressional pockets to buy votes, we have to use the only weapon we have, public opinion. Public Opinion is a powerful weapon, without it health care reform would not have gotten this far. As Americans we need to have our voices heard. We need to write, about it talk about it and when the time comes vote about it. As you find how the congressman or congresswoman in your area voted, you need to remember that when you go to the voting booth. If they fail to represent your interests and instead bow down to special interests, your only weapon will be a vote against them in the next election.
The time for being comfortably numb and complacent when it comes to politics is over my friends. You can no longer sit back and believe your vote won't matter. You can no longer sit back and let someone else do it for you because they might be thinking the same thing. If you care about yourself, your family, your neighbors and your nation, you are going to have to get up off your butts and show it. Congress doesn't realize it yet, but they are running out of time, the candy train they having been riding is pulling into the station and it's going to be up to us to pull them off the train.
(The above chart represents how health care lobbyist spend in Washington over the years.)