Reposted from: Atlantis Blog

Did you hear about the new lobbying scandal? It is an "Abramoff Deal". What is an Abramoff Deal you may ask? It is when a person or group of individuals try to gain an advantage by playing both sides. Similar to a Faustian deal, they both come back to bite you in the behind. However, an Abramoff Deal is worse. In a Faustian deal, you at least know that you have a good chance of the screws being put to you. Yet with a Abramoff Deal, they will support you and your adversary at the same time. This way they gain more money or advantages from the escalating conflict between you both.

Congress is trying to pass the new Abramoff Deal as they normally like to do it. They present their bill with a name that everyone can like or would find hard to oppose. For example, the "Patriot Act" and the "Real ID ACT" both sound like something we should favor. However, if Congress would only READ THE BILLS they pass, we would cut down on some of the Individual Rights being lost and get a chance to DownsizeDC. Now, Congress has a new bill "The Lobbying Reform Act", which will make grass roots activism more difficult and costly to accomplish. It does this by requiring grassroots groups to fill out all kinds of paper work on its members and adds layers of regulation. While Congress can continue jet setting with high powered lobbyist to beautiful vacation spots rather than hear the voices of the people they represent. This puts us under scrutiny instead of the politicians.

Instead of the politicians and government power becoming more limited, it cuts out the grass roots competition. A government created monopoly helps no one except government and it's friends. As if this were not bad enough, a very important bill for individual rights (The Online Freedom of Speech Act) has been lumped together with the "The Lobbying Reform Act". The Online Freedom of Speech Act would protect our freedom of press and apply it to individuals as it should be. This way blogs and websites would rightfully enjoy the same protections as the mainstream media. The Online Freedom of Speech Act has no reason to be combined with another bill and should be voted on its own. Here Lays the Abramoff Deal, by supporting the good bill, the bad bill is passed. The bad bill will make the good bill null and void. If the The Lobbying Reform Act bill is shot down, so will the Online Freedom of Speech Act bill. Congress can now say, they supported both lobbying reform and freedom of speech or its opposition. While at the same time, they would get exactly what they wanted all along. Which is to cut out their competition and silence their critics. This allows them to continue to grow their governmental power. Congress would be playing both sides to get what they wanted.

Is this Abramoff Deal signed, sealed, and delivered? The answer is not yet. Groups like DownsizeDC.org are making it easier for our representatives to hear the full force of our voices in unison for a return to a constitutionally limited government.

About Atlantis Blog

Atlantis Blog is a place for thinkers and producers to share ideas. It shows
that you do not need a college degree if you are willing to
self-educate. We have found many times that there is more knowledge
or up to date knowledge that can be learned in books and the Internet
versus at college were they may only teach one perspective. If you're
looking for a different perspective from an advocate of Individual
Rights, Rational Self-interest, Capitalism, and Reason then visit

(http://atlantisrebirth.blogspot.com).

We talk about philosophy, politics, economics, mixed martial arts and many other topics.

63233-060314-549462-33 Rate content:

Technorati Tags: Politics, Individual Rights, Online Freedom of Speech