Study Proves It: Corporations Buy Politicians

Fat cat politicians love corporations.

I'm just cynical enough not to be surprised, but the numbers here are simply mind-boggling:

"Between 2007 and 2012, 200 of America’s most politically active corporations spent a combined $5.8 billion on federal lobbying and campaign contributions. A year-long analysis by the Sunlight Foundation suggests, however, that what they gave pales compared to what those same corporations got: $4.4 trillion in federal business and support."

That's from a Sunlight Foundation report (here) answering the musical question, "Do political donors get something in return for what they give?"

Of course they do. Politicians--the lying bastards would fabricate when the truth would serve them better--will deny that truth to their dying breath, but the numbers are elegant purveyors of the truth.

Here's the bottom line from the six-year study (which was inspired by the Supreme Court's decision to allow corporations to give to politicians without regulation): "For every dollar spent on influencing politics, the nation’s most politically active corporations received $760 from the government. The $4.4 trillion total represents two-thirds of the $6.5 trillion that individual taxpayers paid into the federal treasury."

Read the story. I'm not sure you'll learn a lot that's new--if you've been keeping up--but it is still awakening. My lord!