Better Online Lobbyist Disclosure -- update
By Bill Allison Jan 02 2008 3:32 a.m. 1 commentLast night, I came across an enhanced site for looking up lobbying records posted online by the Senate Office of Public Records. To give an idea of how much better it is, I can tell you that with one search that 22 organizations--including top political donors Citigroup, Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, Exxon Mobil and PricewaterhouseCoopers, explicitly mention S. 681, the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act. (Perhaps it should be expected that the Swiss Bankers Association also has an interest in the legislation, although one thing I learned some years back when I was researching taxes is that Switzerland is no longer favored by the international tax avoiding, let alone evading, crowd.)
Some notes on the search engine -- when searching for multiple terms, like S. 681 or Comprehensive Immigration Reform, use quotes around the terms -- otherwise, it will return every document with an "S." and every document with a "681." One drawback--it seems that there's no way to link the lobbying forms themselves (they pop up in a new window without any visible URL in both Firefox and Safari--maybe Explorer will have better luck).
In any case, I stumbled across the enhanced site by chance last night when I went to http://sopr.senate.gov, the regular Senate Web site for looking up lobbying records. If you click on that link, you go back to the regular Senate page. As of this writing, this link still gets you to the enhanced data, but I'm wondering whether I just bumped into an alpha or beta test by chance. I'll call Senate Office of Public Records tomorrow to find out...
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What a Great site you have here, I will try to let my pal's in on your lil secrets! We need far more folk's like you to get the "TRUTH" out to the public. We'll Never hear this info in the mainstream-news, they have lobbiest all over your town too! Most peep's are too busy just trying to keep a roof over thier heads these days to even begin to watch C-Span, & don't have time to find out what is really going on in D.C. ( we call it the District of Corruption, & we're sure we are right!" ) Unfortuntally, I myself must keep a job & income.... I'd probally be (...I'm sure I'd be)far happier just walking the street's of Wash. (for pennies a day) w/the old fashioned "Sign-board" hung around my neck trying to bring as much attn. to the absolute-bullcrap that's "Forced" upon us lil-guy's by politians who are bought & sold daily.... by, to & for, every corp.under the friggin sun! Not too sure what the future hold's but it sure look's like Complete repeat of the 1930's & sooner than later. Do any of there children in power in D.C even care about the loss(i.e. selling-out) of what "My" America used to be? Thank God I have become informed instead of just being satisified w/the old me....thinking our leaders had things well in hand...."WHAT A JOKE THAT IS!" All I can say is keep up the great work & I can only aspire to be as important to the public as you folk's are....Rodger Allen & Family, Las Vegas Nv.