Date: 2024-05-13 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00000926
Money and Politics ... USA
2011 ... The US Debt Super Committee Lobby Money
COMMENTARY
Peter Burgess
The phrase 'It is money that makes the world go round' is very sad ... because while it may get people to make decisions, it does very little to facilitate much improvement in the quality of society. It is value that improves the quality of a society ... and to a large extent this has been forgotten buy those with power, influence and responsibility for decision making.
The membership of the 2011 SuperCommittee is available at: About the Super Committee
The following table shows the total amount lobbyists have given to members of the Super Committee over the years according to information from OpenSecrets.org in the period 1989 to 2011
It is interesting to note that the biggest sectors are Banking and Health ... Misc Business and Lobbying are also big categories, but not sector specific. Why would Banking and Health be the subject of so much lobbying effort, and the quick answer is that these two sectors have ingratiated themselves with government over the years and they must be fearful that this gravy train is difficult to justify.
2011 ... The US Debt Super Committee Membership
| Sector | Total | From Individuals | From PACs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance, Insurance & Real Estate | $34,913,553 | $22,328,469 | $12,585,084 |
| Misc Business | $19,789,904 | $13,167,693 | $6,622,211 |
| Lawyers & Lobbyists | $19,284,382 | $16,579,573 | $2,704,809 |
| Health | $17,658,297 | $6,692,214 | $10,966,083 |
| Other | $13,349,599 | $13,145,318 | $204,281 |
| Ideological/Single-Issue | $12,426,312 | $6,605,178 | $5,821,134 |
| Communications/Electronics | $10,146,332 | $5,545,646 | $4,600,686 |
| Energy & Natural Resources | $8,343,328 | $3,038,039 | $5,305,289 |
| Labor | $7,509,473 | $38,806 | $7,470,667 |
| Transportation | $6,381,282 | $2,318,835 | $4,062,447 |
| Agribusiness | $5,817,306 | $2,311,700 | $3,505,606 |
| Construction | $5,660,167 | $3,395,822 | $2,264,345 |
| Defense | $1,925,349 | $631,399 | $1,293,950 |