Don't Throw Citizens Out With the Corporate Bathwater

Not all lobbyists are professional liars for corporate criminals.  If you've been inside the Capitol Annex the past couple of weeks, you've seen that the suits are almost outnumbered by the T-shirted citizen lobbyists working against the corporations. Citizen lobbyists who spend their own money getting to Frankfort and their own time pacing the hallways hoping to catch their senator or representative between meetings are, in fact, the only thing standing between working-class Kentuckians and a lords-and-serfs economy.

But some legislators don't make the distinction.

From the Courier:

A Kentucky legislator has filed a bill that would effectively do away with lobbyists in Frankfort.
Sen. Ray Jones, D-Pikeville, filed the legislation last week following the vote on a bill that would make it harder to file lawsuits against nursing homes accused of abuse or neglect.


Jones has complained about claims made by lobbyists on behalf of the nursing home industry.
Senate Bill 183 would prohibit "lobbyists from contacting a member of the General Assembly about issues, bills, or proposals under consideration during a regular or extraordinary session."

Those found in violation would face fines up to $500.

You know damn well that the suits would find a way around the law, the way they find a way around any and every law that inconveniences them, and the only ones who would therefore be barred from petitioning their representatives for redress of grievances will be ordinary citizens. 

 Video here.