It is amazing, the cost of Health Care, Insurance, Energy, Automobiles, and Banking. The money spent by these industries to buy off the government is out right crazy. And who gets to pay for these costs? The Consumer does. Not only does the consumer pay by rules and laws or regulations that are implemented to benefit the businesses like credit card rates and predatory lending, the companies also pass this expense on to the customer in higher prices for their product to squeeze out that extra profit after their overhead expenses are paid off. And then After the companies get all the breaks we get to bail them out so we can be further abused and ripped off.
What would Health care cost if $1,688,005,232 for Pharma and Health Care products, $1,269,279,506 for Insurance companies, $669,985,584,for Health Professionals, $747,761,294 for Nursing homes and Hospitals lobbying funds was not spent but instead funneled back into the companies, Health Care providers, Pharma etc.. ?
What would cars cost if $547,647,406 from the Automobile industry, $834,166,456 from Oil and Gas industry for Lobbying was instead invested back in the product.
Washington is owned by the industry and as long as there is lobbying there really can't be reform, at least not reform that benefits the general public. The Health Care debate is turning out to perfectly illustrate this and how corrupted our government has become.
If this is supposed to be a Free Market, Capitalistic society let the markets decide what can be supported not the lobbies and Government deals that artificially keep unprofitable business practices in profits with special deals, incentives and loopholes and bailouts. It is time for the government to get back to what it was meant to do. Represent "We The People" not We the Corporation! It is time for Corporate America to come back to reality and make an honest buck on it's own and pay its CEO's a reasonable income package it can afford.
Here is what is spent from 1998-2009 for the top 20
Industry
Total
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products
$1,688,005,232
Insurance
$1,269,279,506
Electric Utilities
$1,161,001,787
Computers/Internet
$955,361,777
Business Associations
$871,366,563
Oil & Gas
$834,166,456
Education
$815,729,134
Real Estate
$766,216,631
Misc Manufacturing & Distributing
$757,599,282
Hospitals/Nursing Homes
$747,761,294
Health Professionals
$669,985,584
Securities & Investment
$653,495,355
Civil Servants/Public Officials
$641,701,230
TV/Movies/Music
$640,809,522
Air Transport
$636,212,920
Misc Issues
$562,792,892
Telephone Utilities
$556,720,220
Automotive
$547,647,406
Telecom Services & Equipment
$524,760,039
Defense Aerospace
$447,559,402
Open Secrets Lobby Database
