by Aria Quill

Created on: October 04, 2008   Last Updated: May 07, 2012

I feel that a politician should be available to all people in government who have an interest in the economic growth of any country.

The lobbyist is trying to express his views as to why a certain policy is important. If the politician is not aware of all conditions in the environment of the political field, how can he make an educated vote when the issue is brought to the floor. It is the politicians duty and right to be a well-informed representative of the public. That means all of the public. That my friends includes lobbyists who are well-versed, albeit in their favour, for a certain law or bill that is proposed and up for votes. It is up to the opposite side of the lobbyist groups to be just as well-informed and bring the other side of the public opinion also to the politician.

Whatever the tender may be given to the politician, this should not ever be considered power to sway the vote or the politicians obligation to the people that he represents. If a lobbyist wants to shower the politician with political gifts of money, that is ok, that will also help out the campaign. But that amount of favour should never be classified as cash rendered in favour of a lobbyist. That is only a favour and this would help the lobbyist to stop coming up with a grand amount of payment in either the form of gifts or the form of money. Let it be a law that any monies or gifts paid to a politician is not a binding contract to have a vote in the favour of the lobbyist. Once this type of understanding comes to the forefront as a law and not as an possibility, the lobbyists will eventually have to come to the politician with only the understanding they have on what they want. Thus by allowing the possibility of gifts and favours, the right to be given to the politician but taking away any power that these gifts may have on the politician, the lobbyist will have no use but to like the politician and give a gift of thanks in whatever form he may wish.

Unfortunately, in the past gifts were considered favours and thus expected to be reciprocated but a gift should be a gift without any form of reciprocation necessary when it comes to politicians. Once it is realized by the giver and the receiver that this is outside the vote, then the gifts will be of little value other than a nice thing to do.

Once you take the sting out of the bee it dies and this is exactly what is wanted here. Hard, cold, political facts not payoffs for the favour of a vote. Only an unscrupulous person who has not the best interest of the country would pay attention to a bribe. This is exactly the kind of politician a country doesn't need. A country needs politicians who can think for themselves, who can analyse and weigh the situation and vote according to his/her constituents, not according to some under-the-table connection he may have. This only leads to an insiders club and defeats the honesty of the system. That is the last thing democracy needs is dishonest and easily bought politicians with no ethics.

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