Case Analysis : ● K Street

In a pluralist democracy like in the United States, interest groups have played a major role throughout the history through highly organized factions and are aimed at different levels of government. Lobbying is one of the tactics of the interest groups to aid their agenda through implementing new laws and regulations. "If you want to have your face in the light, you should have your back in the dark". Similarly, the influences of the interests groups and lobbyists have good and bad effects on the people and the society.

Farmers were faced with severe droughts which caused most of their crops were destroyed. Farmers would take out a loan to buy seed. When the harvest came they would reimburse the loaner. Many farmers went bankrupt because they were unable to repay their debts.

The purpose of lobbying is to communicate to public officials the special interests of specific groups.

Lobbying (also lobby) is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in a government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by many types of people, associations and organized groups, including individuals in the private sector, corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or advocacy groups (interest groups). Lobbyists may be among a legislator's constituencies, meaning a voter or block of voters within his or her electoral district, or not; they may engage in lobbying as a business, or not. Basically when you’re giving an opinion from someone else it’s not something that’s coming from your mouth it’s not how you feel someone is giving you what to say.

Foreign governments often gain influence within Congress by hiring former members of Congress as lobbyists.

Other than overproduction, another economic issue that drastically effected farmers was the Panic of 1893 that left millions of Americans unemployed, hungry, and homeless. In Susan Orcutt’s leter to Lorenzo D. Lewelling, she states, “I had the prettiest garden that you ever seen and the hail ruined it and I have nothing to look at my husband went a way to find work and came home last night and told me that would have to Starve he has bin in ten countys and did not get no work.” (Document H). Economic conditions such as overproduction, the Panic of 1893, and sharecropping systems that developed from it only led to the downfall of farmers.

New mechanized farming techniques led farmers to be able to increase their profits (Document C). With the help of the new technology for farming, farmers produced more crops than ever. However, the overproduction of wheat and the Great Depression is what unfortunately led to the reduced market prices. As a result, the wheat market was swamped, and people were too poor to buy. Furthermore, due to the great loss, farmers were unable to earn back what they produced, so instead they expanded their fields in an effort to turn their unfortunate circumstance into a profit. However, the prairies they covered with wheat caused the grass to slowly disappear and the fields were left bare (Document

farmed dramatically increased.This meant that there was a larger amount of crops going to the

This directly correlates with the ideals of a participatory democracy which strives to produce opportunities for all citizens to make expressive contributions to the legislative process, and attempts to expand the access citizens have to those created opportunities. Lobbyists use the aforementioned technique to create grassroots movements. According to Paul Miller, a former president of the American League of Lobbyists, "Social media makes it very easy to spread a campaign. You 're not just meeting with reporters, you 're sending them press releases, emailing them, tweeting them and doing a whole lot of different things with websites, Facebook, Twitter, you name it" (Howard). When these movements are combined with the access lobbyists have to politicians, it can become a powerful part of the legislative process. For the success of the U.S. to continue, the rights of citizens must be defended and lobbying is a technique for our citizens to contribute to that defense. Lobbyists should represent the interests of citizens who do not have the opportunity to be heard on a legislative level; however, representatives of corporations and special interest groups receive the bulk of the audience. Michael Gessel, who is a lobbyist for The Dayton Development Coalition which helps promote new businesses and job

Lobbyist- Someone hired by an industry to convince legislatures to make laws favoring that industry.

An interest group also known as a special interest group or a lobby is an organized group of individuals, organizations, or businesses who share a goal. The interest group forms an alliance in support of their cause to influence public policy and government officials in the group 's favor. The goal of the group could be focused on small group, such as the Japan Eraser Manufacturer 's Association; or the goal could be focused on a large public group, such as family and friends of public school-aged children in the United States. "The most important lobbying forces in any society are the various entities of government: national, regional, and local government agencies and institutions such as the military" (Thomas).???????????

interest groups are activity involved in the legislature process (on the national level) seeking to

Although the days in my local office are extremely busy, the time I spend in Washington is even more so. After a usually brief staff meeting, there are briefings and committee meetings that I attend. I vote on bills that are presented and present my own bills. There are also press releases, as well as times for networking with other members of Congress. These activities often continue throughout the day and many times there are fundraisers and Congressional receptions to attend in the

Congressional Research Staff- This is basically a hotline for Congress to call if they need any expert information regarding any topic.

Lobbying- “direct influence of public officials and ultimately an influence on their decisions or legislation”