Having become aware of extraordinary incompetence and waste in a state agency, I shouldered some civic responsibility and went to testify at Senate appropriations committee hearing. The experience was rather shocking and showed me why our government no longer works. The Senators were polite, interested, and appreciative. However, when the hearing was over, a lobbyist for the state agency angrily confronted me and told me that I had no right to come down to the Capitol and criticize “his client.” Really? I, a state citizen, taxpayer, and voter, have no right to speak to our elected representatives? Where does such unbridled arrogance come from?
Subsequently, I slowly learned how much our elected representatives are manipulated by lobbyists. Politicians come and go, but the lobbyists are always there. They give politicians cash, are on transition teams after elections, and write bills during legislative sessions. At times, they even presume to speak for the government. I once attended a public meeting where an authoritative sounding person was saying that that what the people wanted would not even be considered. From the message being given, I assumed the speaker was a member of the governor’s staff. Later, I learned that person was a lobbyist.
For a republic to work properly, lobbyists need to be reined in. They are currently required to register with the state, but there are few other restrictions. Change is needed. To start, there need to be “term limits” for lobbyists. No one should be allowed to be a lobbyist for more than 5 years. We need to have our elected leaders operate our government, not the lobbyists.
Dick Zimmermann
Tempe, AZ