Assignment 1: Lobbyists And Interest Groups In Texas

Khadka 2

Asmita Khadka Professor S. 1 Sharifian GOVT 2306-73011 4th April 2017 Lobbyists and Interest Groups in Texas “Lobbyists are salespeople hired to persuade decision-makers in the Legislature and in the agencies of the executive branch”. A group of people drawn or acting together in support of a commoninterest or to voice a common concern as defined by dictionary.com. 2 “State law requires lobbyists to report what they spend on legislators and other state officials. But the loopholes are big: Less than 5 percent of the lobby's reported spending on food and beverage names the eaters and the drinkers” (Analysis: 3 When a Disclosure is No Disclosure at All, 2015). Lobbyist are supposed to be facilitating the people whereas, it’s found that

It is the responsibility of the government to clear those doubts because it is the hard money of every citizen not of the government. Lobbyist doesn’t have to provide any report of the money they are spending until they reach limit of 114$ per day. 3 “They are not necessarily interested in feeding and watering those officials, but in having enough time together to make a case for whatever notion they’re pushing” (Analysis: When a Disclosure is No Disclosure at All, 2015). Rather than spending the money in some beneficial scheme for the people, they are spending food and beverages. According to the article, they are spending $4.7 million on food and beverages whereas only $2.5 million on legislative branch employees. It is a critical case that such a huge amount of money is just spent on those simple

Individual opinion is discarded when it comes to deal with egoistic interest group. It’s so obvious that group with huge money have greater probability of wining but necessarily not be right one. Here, individual voice which probably may be right and fair but is suppressed because of inferiority.

In the article interest group activity and government growth “The interest group theory of government holds that the activities of well-organized interest groups produce government spending and policies. Recent years have seen a massive expansion in both federal government spending and also of interest group activity” (Sobel, J.R 528). According to the article, lobbying activities are speeding by 25 percent in Washington D.C. “Initial results support the party rules account of state decisions regarding Medicaid expansion” (Callaghan, Timothy, Lawrence 310).

Works cited “Analysis: When a Disclosure is No Disclosure at All” www.texastribune.org/2017/04/05/analysis-when-disclosure-no-disclosure-all/. Rosemary Ramsey, 2015. Web. April 5