[novotionworepr]

Lobbying in the US is not the same as bribery. It's a system that has become corrupted, but corruption is not the system's main purpose.

Ostensibly, lobbyists exist to inform legislative staff about issues which they have no experience with, like an expert witness. You can't expect all ~550 legislators to have an in-depth understanding of every topic that they vote on.

The problem is that our legislative staffs started letting lobbyists come to them, instead of seeking out reliable impartial groups to work with. So when they need information about an upcoming vote, they end up soliciting advice from the wealthiest groups in those industries which the vote would impact.

It's an insidious form of regulatory capture. It might even be worse than bribery, because ordinary citizens cannot participate.