US Chamber of Commerce $488,458,180 American Medical Assn $208,472,500 General Electric $183,895,000 American Hospital Assn $172,940,431 AARP $164,072,064 Pharmaceutical Rsrch & Mfrs of America $154,533,400 AT&T Inc $140,516,229 Northrop Grumman $133,515,253 Edison Electric Institute $128,645,999 Business Roundtable $127,980,000 National Assn of Realtors $127,977,380 Exxon Mobil $124,626,942 Blue Cross/Blue Shield $120,491,385 Verizon Communications $118,344,841 Lockheed Martin $115,567,888 Boeing Co $108,728,310 General Motors $104,774,483 Southern Co $97,670,694 Freddie Mac $96,194,048 Altria Group $88,380,000
Pretty much lays it bare. The statistics are all like this. There are no environmental groups, no parental-constituent education firms, and no civil rights groups up there. Nor will you find them anywhere near the top on any list. You know how many lobbyists Greenpeace has on staff? Two. You know how many Exxon Mobil has? Forty-eight.
This is a problem at the base of our electoral system, along with proportional disenfranchisement, that has only recently come into my view. I don't know if there are any solutions yet, but I damn sure know there are problems.
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