The Power of Foreign Lobbyists in American Democracy
Rauf Naqishbendi
July 29, 2007
Whether you call them “political campaign contributions”, “soft money”, “hard money”, or any other name, it all boils down to bribery. The World English Dictionary defines bribe as “to give somebody money or some other incentive to do something, especially something illegal or dishonest.” The out-of-control menace of bribery to America’s political system has transcended beyond our borders to encompass foreign countries and their business enterprises. Alexander Hamilton hinted at this danger in the Federalist Paper when he wrote, “In republics, persons elevated from the mass of the community, by the suffrages of their fellow-citizens, to stations of great pre-eminence and power, may find compensations for betraying their trust, which, to any but minds animated and guided by superior virtue, may appear to exceed the proportion of interest they have in the common stock, and to overbalance the obligations of duty. Hence it is that history furnishes us with so many mortifying examples of the prevalence of foreign corruption in republican governments.”
In a representative democracy it’s imperative that any impetus for new legislation or the amending of existing laws arise out of national exigency and what is for the greater good of the commonwealth. Etiquette demands that lawmakers be impartial toward external influences and consider domestic interests above all others. No civilization can continue on the path of prosperity without regarding the welfare of its citizens as its highest priority. When foreign influences hold sway over the consciences of lawmakers, democracy is crippled and society is doomed to utter failure. History gives no exception to this rule.
Nations are engaged with one another in a wide spectrum of commercial and security concerns, and their alliances are governed by an implicit code of conduct that respects their individual interests. Once concessions are made in favor of one party, the other will be at a disadvantage. Nations have much to lose when foreign elements, by bribing their lawmakers, meddle in their affairs. Just as every nation obviously has a right to protect their industries from unfair foreign competition by imposing tariffs and other appropriate measures, no nation should be forced to be at a disadvantage in their accords with others. In today’s global market there are unscrupulous forces engaging in unfair trade practices, and the only way to thwart them is through prudent and equitable measures.
Foreign countries and their enterprise lobbyists resort to bribing our lawmakers because if they were to lobby in the usual manner, they would be ignored because their interests differ from our domestic interests. And it certainly is worth it to them to resort to these measures; the disparity between the minuscule bribes offered and the excessive dividends they receive is alarming.
Citing competition and profitability as the driving forces, foreign enterprises along with greedy corporate America are pushing forward grave legislation that will undermine the American labor force. No where else does this detestable bribery present itself better than in the case of the defeated one-thousand page Immigration Bill recently debated in the Senate. Among the many demented proposals of this bill, two articles are worth our attention. Despite the defeat of this bill, rest assured, support from President Bush and deep-pocketed high-tech companies such as Microsoft will bring these articles back for debate. The first article stipulates that anyone anywhere in the world can compete with Americans for American jobs. Should this bill be passed into law, it will make America the only country with this kind of a regulation that works against the countries’ own citizens. It creates much greater competition for jobs, making it harder to qualify and be hired. Also, the increased competition would lower wages and result in a lower standard of living. The point is not whether the bill will be passed or defeated but rather why such demented propositions would even be debated! Why would Americans compete against foreigners for American jobs in their own country? Does this imply that they are merely a “march of morons” that are too retarded and incapable of performing the jobs available in their country that they must be catered to by foreign workers?
The second article calls for an increase in the number of work visas issued to an aggregated 180,000. This would mean saturating the job market with foreign workers to dulcify voracious businesses by lowering wages and making the labor supply abundant. American businesses have already been outsourcing American jobs, particularly in the high-tech field. Of the few jobs left, most have been in-sourced to foreign agencies, which discriminate against Americans by only hiring Americans when their needs cannot be fulfilled with offshore employees. Thus, they practice discrimination with impunity as lawmakers legislate laws protecting them. Keep in mind that all this is done with the endorsement of our lawmakers and our President’s signature, as they give in to pressures from foreign elements.
The corruption of our lawmakers through the influence of foreign countries and lobbyists contravenes our sovereignty. It must be stopped because it distorts democracy by creating an ever-widening gulf between the governing body and the people they ought to represent and serve, establishing a dangerous precedent for our descendants.
In a representative democracy it’s imperative that any impetus for new legislation or the amending of existing laws arise out of national exigency and what is for the greater good of the commonwealth. Etiquette demands that lawmakers be impartial toward external influences and consider domestic interests above all others. No civilization can continue on the path of prosperity without regarding the welfare of its citizens as its highest priority. When foreign influences hold sway over the consciences of lawmakers, democracy is crippled and society is doomed to utter failure. History gives no exception to this rule.
Nations are engaged with one another in a wide spectrum of commercial and security concerns, and their alliances are governed by an implicit code of conduct that respects their individual interests. Once concessions are made in favor of one party, the other will be at a disadvantage. Nations have much to lose when foreign elements, by bribing their lawmakers, meddle in their affairs. Just as every nation obviously has a right to protect their industries from unfair foreign competition by imposing tariffs and other appropriate measures, no nation should be forced to be at a disadvantage in their accords with others. In today’s global market there are unscrupulous forces engaging in unfair trade practices, and the only way to thwart them is through prudent and equitable measures.
Foreign countries and their enterprise lobbyists resort to bribing our lawmakers because if they were to lobby in the usual manner, they would be ignored because their interests differ from our domestic interests. And it certainly is worth it to them to resort to these measures; the disparity between the minuscule bribes offered and the excessive dividends they receive is alarming.
Citing competition and profitability as the driving forces, foreign enterprises along with greedy corporate America are pushing forward grave legislation that will undermine the American labor force. No where else does this detestable bribery present itself better than in the case of the defeated one-thousand page Immigration Bill recently debated in the Senate. Among the many demented proposals of this bill, two articles are worth our attention. Despite the defeat of this bill, rest assured, support from President Bush and deep-pocketed high-tech companies such as Microsoft will bring these articles back for debate. The first article stipulates that anyone anywhere in the world can compete with Americans for American jobs. Should this bill be passed into law, it will make America the only country with this kind of a regulation that works against the countries’ own citizens. It creates much greater competition for jobs, making it harder to qualify and be hired. Also, the increased competition would lower wages and result in a lower standard of living. The point is not whether the bill will be passed or defeated but rather why such demented propositions would even be debated! Why would Americans compete against foreigners for American jobs in their own country? Does this imply that they are merely a “march of morons” that are too retarded and incapable of performing the jobs available in their country that they must be catered to by foreign workers?
The second article calls for an increase in the number of work visas issued to an aggregated 180,000. This would mean saturating the job market with foreign workers to dulcify voracious businesses by lowering wages and making the labor supply abundant. American businesses have already been outsourcing American jobs, particularly in the high-tech field. Of the few jobs left, most have been in-sourced to foreign agencies, which discriminate against Americans by only hiring Americans when their needs cannot be fulfilled with offshore employees. Thus, they practice discrimination with impunity as lawmakers legislate laws protecting them. Keep in mind that all this is done with the endorsement of our lawmakers and our President’s signature, as they give in to pressures from foreign elements.
The corruption of our lawmakers through the influence of foreign countries and lobbyists contravenes our sovereignty. It must be stopped because it distorts democracy by creating an ever-widening gulf between the governing body and the people they ought to represent and serve, establishing a dangerous precedent for our descendants.
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