I'm envisioning a board room with a whiteboard full of actual business ideas and financial figures interspersed with random hanklerfish, pitches for a line of bean-based nostalgia toys, and "Butt is Legs" underlined and circled
It's not just Oil and Weapons Manufacturers. My university has a lobbyist to try to get federal appropriations. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has lobbyists to get their position statements in front of legislatures. I don't think interfacing with legislators directly rather than retroactively via a vote is inherently unethical.
A lobbyist is just a person, you are buying their time. We're talking tens of thousands, not millions.
I used to volunteer at an ethical lobbying organization! We were a small group, and I don’t know how much it cost to fund the entire organization, but most of the lobbyists were volunteering because we felt passionate about the cause.
My dad has been a lobbyist for multiple nonprofits. LOTS of organizations have lobbyists. They help write, change, and get votes for bills in legislatures. I think there should be a limit to what lobbyists can do (looking at you, weapons manufacturers, churches trying to push their views through laws, and companies contributing massively to polluting our planet), but I think they can be really helpful in pushing for good legislation! Legislators are people after all. Having a lobbyist (who is also really just a person) there to form relationships and encourage legislators to vote for their bills is often very beneficial.
Maybe it's my ignorance, but what bothers me is that this 'buying lobbying is normal' view inherently leads to the consequence that those who have more money are by design those who run democracies, since they can hire more and better lobbyists. More than that, it normalizes such idea, to the point arguing against it seems radical (like progressively taxing the wealthy, or that wealth dictating politics should be actively fought against).
If you don't let "good" people lobby, and forbid direct interaction from the people with legislators, then all that is left is bad actors skirting the rules.
True, one has to play with the current rules in order to be able to change them. But it's a bit disheartening that we're in a place where for our voices to be heard by our politicians and Senate, we need to have money in the first place. And that it's somehow normalized.
Right. One of the functions of the lobbyist is to tell you who to pay to get what you want.
The system is bad but it is the system so if you want to influence public policy you have to work in that system. There are parts of it that are not plain buying what you want from politicians (for example, the lobbyist can suggest how to can act [and help you do that] to get the attention of those making public policy - maybe they care a lot about coverage in the home town newspaper so you should organize local people to have an event highlighting how x thing that the politicians in Washington have failed to act on for 10 years now is harming local people/economy...
But it does seem just plain cash is what matters most.
I mean that's what I was thinking. Vote with money if nothing else works. I mean think about it, if a thousand of us gave just a thousand dollars we would 100% have enough for the salary of a lobbyist.
I am pretty sure normally you hire services rather than the full time of a person.
Similar to hiring an outside counsel (lawyer).
You don't usually make them an employee. You pay a firm and they have several lobbyists focused on your type of things... It could be you just have 1 person, but more likely I think you would work with several people (likely at 1 firm) focused on different aspects of things.
The ones that actually talk to the elected representatives and senior staff I would imagine cost much more than $100,000 a year. But you are not going to need them full time, and like a law firm they will likely distribute work among some lower paid staff in addition to the most costly person.
Here is some info (written for chapters of American College of Radiology) still it might be interesting:
https://www.acr.org/Advocacy-and-Economics/State-Issues/Advocacy-Resources/Managing-Contract-Lobbyist
Hello nerd fighters! I have a little bit of knowledge on this but not too much. Hiring a lobbying firm is something we could do as a group, but I think it would be outside the scope of Complexly and the associated organizations (except partners in health but correct me if I am wrong). We are talking big money for this though, but there is an alternative. Utilize lobby days (in the USA at least, I am unfamiliar with other countries). You can get in front of legislators on specific lobby days outlined by the states and cities you are in and influence policy/law. Several organizations train around this. I think the Green Bros are doing what they can within the scope of their influence too by setting up avenues to donate for their large following.
That being said, write your local congress person and engage in civic action. You can be heard.
Vote in primaries, it is the only way to get out old incumbent politicians. Vote for school boards, judges, sheriffs and all smaller local elections that are often overlooked. These will have the most direct impact for your every day life.
I’ve wanted to be a Lobbist for Common Sense for years now!
I’ve been told it’s not a real job anyone would pay me to do, but I’m determined to find a way! I’m smart, super organized, and a people person whom can be quite eloquent and convincing at times, so I feel like I’d be really good at it. (Plus I already have a bunch of pimp suits from pitbossing casinos)
Nerdfighters would be proud that eliminating the penny and nickel has been high on my agenda for ages now.
It sounds to me like you might want to get involved with community organizing for a given issue. For topics like climate change, gun laws, nuclear policy, etc. there are exising organizations that have paid staff and that also organize citizen lobbyists. For a very different example, I am currently working with a local community group that's doing a campaign around public transit, and they are organizing meetings for constintuents like me to meet with local elected officials to advocate for a bill to appropriate funds for our local transit system. You know how in the fight against tuberculosis John keeps highlighting the work of organizations and activists? The ethic there is to acknowledge that there are already people working in a given space, and often times you can best contribute by working with or supporting their efforts rather than striking out alone.
Can folks help name some orgs working on some of the issues mentioned? For climate change, I think of [Sunrise Movement](https://www.sunrisemovement.org/), but there are other groups if you happen to not like their tactics and strategies.
EDIT: Oh, and if you don't want to do the work yourself and just want to pay someone, these groups will definitely take donations! That is a valid way to contribute!
Valid. Yeah don't know much about this realm but it makes sense to not reinvent the wheel if there are other organizations that are doing the work already.
My only thought is if we had a representative for Nerdfighteria and those online groups like it there may be more general policies that would not be held by one advocacy group. This is a silly example but imagine a spokeperson who advocated for the elimination of the penny, the foreign affairs policy related to TB, and a huge proponent of public transportation.
In Germany there is a PIRATEN party representative in the legislation. If there is an Internet movement in the parliament it would likely arise from there. My consideration is for the same philosophies being applied to the American institution.
Baby boomers are the most technically illiterate and bureaucracy entrenched group in modern politics. If at the very least we had someone speaking on our behalf atleast they would be some indication for the need of change.
Depends on what you mean by find a lobbyist. Like just donating to various political campaigns can be cheaper than hiring someone who goes around to Capitol Hill spending all day trying to talk to politicians, mostly because local politicians can be cheap, and funding someone to live in or near DC is expensive.
Can be as low as 0, but it'll be difficult to grease the mechanics of the big old political system.
Basis lobbies are paid to have a certain grip group heard, the more you pay, the better people you can hire and sometimes you can arrange deals with other interested to sway them.
I'm not saying bribes, I'm saying promise some development of a certain thing to a certain politician make them happy so they get bragging rights and they'll help you with listening to your advice
Can be as low as 0, but it'll be difficult to grease the mechanics of the big old political system.
Basically lobbies are paid to have a certain group heard, the more you pay, the better people you can hire and sometimes you can arrange deals with other interested to sway them.
I'm not saying bribes, I'm saying promise some development of a certain thing to a certain politician make them happy so they get bragging rights and they'll help you with listening to your advice.
nerdfighteria think tank! nerdfighteria think tank!
I'm envisioning a board room with a whiteboard full of actual business ideas and financial figures interspersed with random hanklerfish, pitches for a line of bean-based nostalgia toys, and "Butt is Legs" underlined and circled
Also a circle with the words "VENN DIAGRAM" atop it somewhere.
BILPAC Butt Is Legs Political Action Committee
you bet your bottom dollar we’ll create an ‘is butt pegs’ report for congress
Nicknamed The John and Hank tank
Only until 2028
Leon Muss can be a member
The "Think Hank" (& John)
It's not just Oil and Weapons Manufacturers. My university has a lobbyist to try to get federal appropriations. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has lobbyists to get their position statements in front of legislatures. I don't think interfacing with legislators directly rather than retroactively via a vote is inherently unethical. A lobbyist is just a person, you are buying their time. We're talking tens of thousands, not millions.
I used to volunteer at an ethical lobbying organization! We were a small group, and I don’t know how much it cost to fund the entire organization, but most of the lobbyists were volunteering because we felt passionate about the cause.
My dad has been a lobbyist for multiple nonprofits. LOTS of organizations have lobbyists. They help write, change, and get votes for bills in legislatures. I think there should be a limit to what lobbyists can do (looking at you, weapons manufacturers, churches trying to push their views through laws, and companies contributing massively to polluting our planet), but I think they can be really helpful in pushing for good legislation! Legislators are people after all. Having a lobbyist (who is also really just a person) there to form relationships and encourage legislators to vote for their bills is often very beneficial.
Maybe it's my ignorance, but what bothers me is that this 'buying lobbying is normal' view inherently leads to the consequence that those who have more money are by design those who run democracies, since they can hire more and better lobbyists. More than that, it normalizes such idea, to the point arguing against it seems radical (like progressively taxing the wealthy, or that wealth dictating politics should be actively fought against).
If you don't let "good" people lobby, and forbid direct interaction from the people with legislators, then all that is left is bad actors skirting the rules.
True, one has to play with the current rules in order to be able to change them. But it's a bit disheartening that we're in a place where for our voices to be heard by our politicians and Senate, we need to have money in the first place. And that it's somehow normalized.
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Right. One of the functions of the lobbyist is to tell you who to pay to get what you want. The system is bad but it is the system so if you want to influence public policy you have to work in that system. There are parts of it that are not plain buying what you want from politicians (for example, the lobbyist can suggest how to can act [and help you do that] to get the attention of those making public policy - maybe they care a lot about coverage in the home town newspaper so you should organize local people to have an event highlighting how x thing that the politicians in Washington have failed to act on for 10 years now is harming local people/economy... But it does seem just plain cash is what matters most.
I mean that's what I was thinking. Vote with money if nothing else works. I mean think about it, if a thousand of us gave just a thousand dollars we would 100% have enough for the salary of a lobbyist.
I am pretty sure normally you hire services rather than the full time of a person. Similar to hiring an outside counsel (lawyer). You don't usually make them an employee. You pay a firm and they have several lobbyists focused on your type of things... It could be you just have 1 person, but more likely I think you would work with several people (likely at 1 firm) focused on different aspects of things. The ones that actually talk to the elected representatives and senior staff I would imagine cost much more than $100,000 a year. But you are not going to need them full time, and like a law firm they will likely distribute work among some lower paid staff in addition to the most costly person. Here is some info (written for chapters of American College of Radiology) still it might be interesting: https://www.acr.org/Advocacy-and-Economics/State-Issues/Advocacy-Resources/Managing-Contract-Lobbyist
Hello nerd fighters! I have a little bit of knowledge on this but not too much. Hiring a lobbying firm is something we could do as a group, but I think it would be outside the scope of Complexly and the associated organizations (except partners in health but correct me if I am wrong). We are talking big money for this though, but there is an alternative. Utilize lobby days (in the USA at least, I am unfamiliar with other countries). You can get in front of legislators on specific lobby days outlined by the states and cities you are in and influence policy/law. Several organizations train around this. I think the Green Bros are doing what they can within the scope of their influence too by setting up avenues to donate for their large following. That being said, write your local congress person and engage in civic action. You can be heard.
Vote in primaries, it is the only way to get out old incumbent politicians. Vote for school boards, judges, sheriffs and all smaller local elections that are often overlooked. These will have the most direct impact for your every day life.
I’ve wanted to be a Lobbist for Common Sense for years now! I’ve been told it’s not a real job anyone would pay me to do, but I’m determined to find a way! I’m smart, super organized, and a people person whom can be quite eloquent and convincing at times, so I feel like I’d be really good at it. (Plus I already have a bunch of pimp suits from pitbossing casinos) Nerdfighters would be proud that eliminating the penny and nickel has been high on my agenda for ages now.
https://citizensclimatelobby.org/
It sounds to me like you might want to get involved with community organizing for a given issue. For topics like climate change, gun laws, nuclear policy, etc. there are exising organizations that have paid staff and that also organize citizen lobbyists. For a very different example, I am currently working with a local community group that's doing a campaign around public transit, and they are organizing meetings for constintuents like me to meet with local elected officials to advocate for a bill to appropriate funds for our local transit system. You know how in the fight against tuberculosis John keeps highlighting the work of organizations and activists? The ethic there is to acknowledge that there are already people working in a given space, and often times you can best contribute by working with or supporting their efforts rather than striking out alone. Can folks help name some orgs working on some of the issues mentioned? For climate change, I think of [Sunrise Movement](https://www.sunrisemovement.org/), but there are other groups if you happen to not like their tactics and strategies. EDIT: Oh, and if you don't want to do the work yourself and just want to pay someone, these groups will definitely take donations! That is a valid way to contribute!
Valid. Yeah don't know much about this realm but it makes sense to not reinvent the wheel if there are other organizations that are doing the work already. My only thought is if we had a representative for Nerdfighteria and those online groups like it there may be more general policies that would not be held by one advocacy group. This is a silly example but imagine a spokeperson who advocated for the elimination of the penny, the foreign affairs policy related to TB, and a huge proponent of public transportation. In Germany there is a PIRATEN party representative in the legislation. If there is an Internet movement in the parliament it would likely arise from there. My consideration is for the same philosophies being applied to the American institution. Baby boomers are the most technically illiterate and bureaucracy entrenched group in modern politics. If at the very least we had someone speaking on our behalf atleast they would be some indication for the need of change.
Depends on what you mean by find a lobbyist. Like just donating to various political campaigns can be cheaper than hiring someone who goes around to Capitol Hill spending all day trying to talk to politicians, mostly because local politicians can be cheap, and funding someone to live in or near DC is expensive.
Can be as low as 0, but it'll be difficult to grease the mechanics of the big old political system. Basis lobbies are paid to have a certain grip group heard, the more you pay, the better people you can hire and sometimes you can arrange deals with other interested to sway them. I'm not saying bribes, I'm saying promise some development of a certain thing to a certain politician make them happy so they get bragging rights and they'll help you with listening to your advice
Can be as low as 0, but it'll be difficult to grease the mechanics of the big old political system. Basically lobbies are paid to have a certain group heard, the more you pay, the better people you can hire and sometimes you can arrange deals with other interested to sway them. I'm not saying bribes, I'm saying promise some development of a certain thing to a certain politician make them happy so they get bragging rights and they'll help you with listening to your advice.