Some Thoughts on Lobbying, Lobbyists, and Members of Congress

The ability to communicate with Members of Congress at the state or federal level to represent the interests of a specific group of individuals or businesses is a great and tremendous freedom that American citizens possess. The ability for the voices of the people to be heard in government is a fundamental right and principle on which this country was founded, and is explicitly protected by the First Amendment.

A lobbyist most certainly has the right to discuss important legislative issues with Members of Congress, and to communicate to them the views of those whom they represent. This is (or can be) a good thing; it helps legislators to be informed about issues that are important to the people, it provides an opportunity to have open and honest discussions about those issues, and the lobbyist may even be able to present facts and research that could be helpful to the legislator in reaching an informed decision. Yet there are limits that must be observed. It is both unethical and illegal for a lobbyist or lobbyist group to attempt to persuade a Member of Congress to vote in a specific way through bribery — promising money, gifts or other remuneration in exchange for the vote. This sort of collusion is plain and simple corruption on behalf of both the legislator and the lobbyist, and should be eradicated from our government.

While freedom of speech is vital to our nation, that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone who has an opinion or petition should be given whatever they want. As presidential candidate Donald J. Trump stated at a rally in Akron, Ohio, "The job of an elected official is to serve the citizens of the United States." Any Member of Congress, any elected official, needs to weigh the concerns of special interest groups against the welfare of the American people as a whole, and in every case, should vote in such a way that is ethical and does not grant one group favors at the expense of another.

Lobbyists are often regarded in a negative light. But lobbying in itself — that is, communicating to an elected official the views of a particular group on one or more issues — is not a bad thing; it's guaranteed by our Constitution. What's bad is corruption — persuading the legislator by unethical means — and favoritism — elevating the agenda of one group at the expense of another. Get rid of corruption and favoritism, and our democracy, with its freedom of speech, will flourish as it was intended.

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