Today’s Washington Post has an article on the explosion of business for lobbyists in Washington D.C. “The number of registered lobbyists in Washington has more than doubled since 2000 to more than 34,750 while the amount that lobbyists charge their new clients has increased by as much as 100 percent.“

And how do they explain why this has become one of America’s fastest growing industries? “The lobbying boom has been caused by three factors, experts say: rapid growth in government, Republican control of both the White House and Congress, and wide acceptance among corporations that they need to hire professional lobbyists to secure their share of federal benefits.“

And the next time you hear someone running for Congress bragging about their “conservative” credentials, take a moment to think about what that means today in our Nation’s capitol:

The Republicans in charge aren’t just pro-business, they are also pro-government. Federal outlays increased nearly 30 percent from 2000 to 2004, to $2.29 trillion. And despite the budget deficit, federal spending is set to increase again this year, especially in programs that are prime lobbying targets such as defense, homeland security and medical coverage.


(via Bull Moose (via Political Animal))