Quote:
Originally Posted by classicman
Sorry posted this in the wrong thread - Could a Mod please delete post in Earthquake thread
I think there are a number of good things that Obama has begun to do. I agree with some of the directions he is taking. I also disagree with some things.
I ran through this list and just thought I'd highlight some of the things which aren't accomplished YET or don't fit the "what he has done" label.
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Re: Number 10:limits on lobbyist's access to the White House.
One of the most sweeping changes is not just limiting lobbyists' access to the White House...but limiting the
influence of lobbyists throughout the Executive Branch by barring them from serving on advisory committees that provide guidance on drafting and/or reviewing regulations.
It received little notice at the time of its publication last summer, but K street has been in a frenzy in the last few months as it is put into place.
Quote:
Hundreds, if not thousands, of lobbyists are likely to be ejected from federal advisory panels as part of a little-noticed initiative by the Obama administration to curb K Street's influence in Washington, according to White House officials and lobbying experts.
The new policy -- issued with little fanfare this fall by the White House ethics counsel -- may turn out to be the most far-reaching lobbying rule change so far from President Obama, who also has sought to restrict the ability of lobbyists to get jobs in his administration and to negotiate over stimulus contracts.
The initiative is aimed at a system of advisory committees so vast that federal officials don't have exact numbers for its size; the most recent estimates tally nearly 1,000 panels with total membership exceeding 60,000 people.
Under the policy, which is being phased in over the coming months, none of the more than 13,000 lobbyists in Washington would be able to hold seats on the committees, which advise agencies on trade rules, troop levels, environmental regulations, consumer protections and thousands of other government policies.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...112602362.html
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It is influencing regulations, as much as or more than influencing legislation, through which industry lobbyists can be most self-serving.