Why Is Lobbying Legal?

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Why Is Lobbying Legal?

Most current event fanatics must have heard the debate to legalize or illegalize lobbying several times already. To the oblivious, here is the beef on what lobbying is all about. The word ‘lobby, actually means to influence or to persuade. The word lobbyist on the other hand, is what you call the people who do the act of lobbying. What is funny about it is the term is derived from that fact that lobbying suggests the behavior of waiting out in halls and lobbies to speak to a legislator or public official.

In its more literal sense, lobbying is the means of persuading or influencing public officials to take a desired course of action. More often than not, lobbyists persuade officials to either pass or defeat certain legislation. At the time when lobbying first started, a person who is able to sell an idea efficiently is then considered an effective one.

However, there is much of a debate on where or not to illegalize it because of lobbying’s self-serving character. So why is it that despite of this lobbying is still considered as a legal act? Simply because there is more to lobbying than selling a particular idea to legislators. The more efficient and effective lobbyists actually do more than selling or persuading; rather, they are able to gain access to a particular system. Once they are able to familiarize themselves with the system, they are able to gain information about the process and the people involve thus allowing them to have their issues heard.

In retrospect, lobbying continues to be a legal act because a lot think that it is an effective way to participate in the government in its decision making. Through lobbying, people are being given the right to relay their thoughts, emotions and ideas to local representative regarding public issues that affect them.

Author: maureen

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One Response

  1. DougTheBug

    November 21, 2011 4:41 pm

    It’s funny no matter where I search about this topic, it always comes down to an explanation about how “thoughts, ideas etc need to be expressed”. I understand that but why does money need to enter into it? The rich will ALWAYS control government because of this. There is still no morla reason that this is legal as far as I am concerned.

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