How to get around having to bribe legislators

[lawrocket 3]

It used to be that if you wanted to get self-serving legislation through you had to "invest" in a a few legislators to get a return on your investment. The problem is, this amounts to bribery.

In California, though, they have figured out a way around it. Let's say that I want a law passed that subsidizes law offices with less than 5 attorneys wherein a husband and wife are partners by taxing 1 percent of the income for all individuals who make more than $80,000.00 per year, and that all such revenue goes to law offices meting this criteria. The purpose is to provide grants to law offices like mine (there may be less than 100 of them in Calif) to assist low-income families. The grants would be roughly for roughly $1 million per year per firm because the need for representation for underprivileged is readily apparent, and it will allow me to assist up to 50 people per year who otherwise couldn't afford me.

It'd be a worthwhile investment for me to see that this law passes - I'd make back $2 million in two years. But, I can't just bribe the legislature or I'll get in trouble.

So what I do is build a consortium of similarly situated attorneys to donate $1 million to get it as a ballot initiative. Then I can advertise about the wealthiest filing lawsuits against the poor that cannot be defended, and that it assists these low-income people with defending themselves.

Legal, right? It's advertising to the people.

Health care companies want more money coming in. So they spent a fortune to get a ballot measure (Prop. 86) put on that will tax tobacco and provide the revenues to health care companies.
Prop 87 did the same thing, only it taxes oil and provides the taxes as funding to develop alternative fuels. Not surpisingly, venture capitalists in the Silicon Valley are leading the "Yes on 87" charge (following the $16.5 million donation of Stephen Bing - a wealthy heir and second largest political contributor in America).

Smart business moves against hated enemies. Go against industries with present PR problems to have a tax created that funds your business.

I'll put it this way - think of the Kelo case where governments were allowed to use eminent domain private property for the use of other private companies. This is similar, in that a ballot initiative is directly funding interests by skimming off of other businesses.

I find this to be some pretty scary stuff! Politics has always been business, but I've never thought of it as being so bold as this. I mean, who the hell else is gonna pull this stuff?

If only I could raise a few million dollars to get my proposed ballot initiative on the ballot. Then I'd be set for life.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[kallend 2,182]

And we want to bring our version of democracy to other nations

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[lawrocket 3]

This is the very reason why we have a republican form of government. Never underestimate the gullibility of people.

My wife is hotter than your wife.