""Google probably learned that to be successful, you have to make campaign contributions," said Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles and an expert on money in politics"

So. It aint enuff fer a company to just supply a good or service that people are willing to pony up the dough fer, eh?

Ya gotta form a PAC and start buying off some overpaid sharks, eh?

Right! THAT'S wot DC needs!
MORE FREAKING LOBBYISTS!!
Yeah! That'll fix things, fer sure!

It's next to impossible to pass a sensible bill at this point due to corporate over-influence as it is.

The ratio of lobbyists to politicos is insanely in favor of the lobbyists.

It is such a vicious cycle.

Dick Cheney is, of course, the poster boy fer wots wrong with Washington lobbyists. He was a small fry politico who went through the revolving door in order to make ten times his previous salary running Helliburton. Then he went through the revolving door again and ended up being the guy who made the list of potential Veeps fer Chimpy. We all know how THAT turned out. At the end of the day you now have a government of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations.

Yes, yes. Spud is largely aware that Google are just playing the game as it exists at this point in time, but still Spud wonders how, or even if, this imbalance of power will resolve itself over time.

Cos it really has to.

Power must return to the people.

Be Well.

Wow... I like google, but if their plan is to start feeding the culture of corruption... that just isn't going to fly.

Supposedly Google's motto is "do no evil". That doesn't really go too well with the Republifundies, who's motto (given their history) appears to be "do only evil".

Perhaps after Google 'Googled' their motto they discovered that the GOP's was almost identical their own: "Do no evil, to our special friends."

OCU

"Do no evil, to our special friends."

I thought it was "Money Talks".

I thought it was "Money Talks".

Posted by DATA at 2006-09-17 11:08 AM

What do you think it is that's telling them WHO their 'special friends' are?

OCU

They must have a political adgenda, a good reason not to use them. Companies need to stay out of politics.

ask dot com is better anyway