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Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Taxpayer money lobbying for more
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The top story in today’s AJC reveals the King of the Freebies under the Gold Dome not to be some sleazy subprime lenders trying to ease poor people into debt, but none other than the University System of Georgia’s lobbyist, Tom Daniel. Over the past 30 months he’s reported spending $139,000 on legislator freebies, reports James Salzer. That would make the university system the big spender during the 2006 session and the third biggest in 2007.
The money spent for tickets to sporting events, meals and lodging doesn’t come from taxpayers, not directly at least, but from donations to the system, schools and their foundations. Altogether, the university system has 18 staffers registered to lobby whose salaries are paid by taxpayers.
The pertinent question is raised by a strong-willed fiscal conservative, State Rep. Dan Lakly (R-Peachtree City): “Why are we spending taxpayer money to get more taxpayer money?”
I’m drawn to Lakly’s question. My years around the General Assembly convince me that public employees exert enormous influence over legislators. They do it a couple of ways. One is to control information and to frame it for legislators in a way that leads them to the conclusion the staff wants. If the staff doesn’t believe in a policy — abstinence-only education, for example — they simply present it as so awful or ineffective that only the boldest, most daring legislators would risk advocating the policy. They also parcel out information, forcing legislators to spend an exorbitant amount of time digging for it, making them ask the question in just the right way to get the answer all intelligent people know they want.
The other way public employees control policy is by filling the hall of the Capitol with lobbyists who represent their associations. Getting any new education idea into law is virtually impossible because an alphabet-soup of associations representing school boards, superintendents, teachers, educational leaders and a host of others stand ready to rally special interests to protect the franchise.
Often it’s the big spenders from the private sector who draw the attention. But on most days, the really influential lobbyists are there, directly or indirectly, on taxpayer money asking for more.
