Is Goverment Dominated by Business

Is Government Dominated by Business Special interest groups have dominated government since the advent of America's political system. Special interest groups or lobbies are collections of individuals who join together to pursue common interests and to influence the decisions on public policies. Many people view special interest groups as an integral part of the political process, legitimized by the first amendment of the Constitution. In that way, special interest groups are good. The point that disgusts many people is that more often then not money overpowers the right decision; that is why Big Business is a problem. The richer the companies and organizations, the better chance they have to persuade the government officials. In the United States alone there are thousands of special interest groups working for their own cause. Some of the causes they are working for are: business, banking, labor, environment, women, seniors, the economy, and farming just to name a few. Some groups or businesses which partake in lobbying are: N.O.W., Green Peace, AFL-CIO, Teamsters, Sierra Club, N.R.A., Tobacco industry and the ACLU. These groups often work at the national, state, and local levels attempting to inf

The United States needs to continue to give people equal say inthe laws which govern our society. This form of politics is quite popular these days, it is whenindividuals or groups support or reject a candidate based on one view of acertain issue. Political Action Committees are other groups which help in thepersuasion of Congressional people. The lumberindustry wins due to the money they have at their disposal. The amount of money spent through lobbying is outrageous. The primary goals of these groups are thepassing, blocking, or amending legislation to achieve a favorable ruling fortheir own benefit. The "Greens" feel that the loggers should not beallowed to cut down as many trees as they do. The way the NRA forces the senate is asfollowed: the NRA gets together with some senators that they know want torepeal the ban. Many groups havepermanent offices in Washington DC. "In 1971 PAC's becameincreasingly popular because the ban on the use of corporate money to set upPAC's was lifted"(Groliers "PAC"). The lumber and paper industry is an important business to many people. They too lobby in Washington to ensure that no restrictions are put on theirjobs. "In the firsthalf of 1996 lobby's spent at least 400 million dollars to influence thefederal government" ("Lobbyists"). It is now a lot easier for the Special Interest Groups to persuade thelawmakers. These lobbying groups hurt the integrity of what this country is allabout.