Caught

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Rick, Public Citizen" <action@citizen.org>
Date: Aug 11, 2014 4:42 PM
Subject: Caught
To: <aquarianm@gmail.com>
Cc:

Daniel,

Your members of Congress are supposed to work for you, right?

So it would be wrong for a corporate lobbyist — someone whose job is to represent Big Business over We, the People — to pick your representative or senators' staff, right?

Political reporters last week caught a member of Congress using a corporate lobbyist to help hire his staff.

Tell your members of Congress that corporate lobbyists should have NO say in who they hire to help conduct the people's business.

Congressional staff work for the lawmakers who are supposed to be working for you.

Taxpayers pay their salaries.

In other words, congressional staff work for you too.

When lawmakers bring corporate lobbyists in to help hire congressional staff, it raises the fundamental question:

Who do these lawmakers and their staff think they're working for?

Make sure YOUR members of Congress know that YOU expect them to work for YOU.

For more about the representative who brought in a lobbyist to help hire his staff, read my earlier email, copied below.

Thanks,

Rick 

Daniel, Here's a ridiculous question: Should corporate lobbyists get to choose the staff your members of Congress hire? Of course not — congressional staffers' jobs are to help lawmakers govern on YOUR behalf, not carry water for Corporate America. Earlier this week, news reports* revealed that the House Majority Whip, U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), was using a corporate lobbyist to help conduct job interviews for staff positions. Apparently, what's obvious to you and me is beyond the understanding of some representatives and senators. Corporate lobbyists should have NO say in who YOUR representative and senators hire. Join Public Citizen's campaign calling on your members of Congress to condemn this outrage. The Politico story, which broke earlier this week, detailed Rep. Scalise's arrangement with the lobbyist — whose clients include AT&T and 21st Century Fox (the arm of Rupert Murdoch's media empire that includes Fox News). This is one more example of corporations and special interests distorting our government for their own private gain. Enough is enough. Make sure Congress knows you're watching. Speak out against this outrageous instance of lobbyist influence before it becomes an even more pervasive practice in congressional offices. Thanks for all you do. Onward, Rick Claypool Public Citizen's Online Action Team action@citizen.org *Politico: "To pick staff, Scalise turns to lobbyist"

Visit our Government Reform page to learn more about Public Citizen's work to rein in the influence of money in politics. Go to http://action.citizen.org/unsubscribe.jsp if you do not want to receive future emails from Public Citizen. © 2014 Public Citizen • 1600 20th Street, NW / Washington, D.C. 20009 • www.citizen.org