Interest Groups in Taxation
A part of the “darker side” of Washington is considered by the American public as interest groups. Even James Madison described them in the federalist papers he wrote in 1787 as “factions” that could be dangerous. The modern day hasn’t changed much. People today largely agree with Madison in how they view interest groups. What interest groups do, how they are supported, and what their stances are an interesting mix of controversy, clash, and representation. Interest groups are there to represent the people, usually a portion of the people. This representation stems from either a view point or stance for a plethora of issues. There are hundreds of different interest groups that represent view points from big business. Interest groups represent their portion of the public by lobbying congress. Interest groups use lobbying as a way to influence congress. This process includes getting lobbyists or people who exemplify interest groups before the government. Usually lobbyists do this by educating the government about issues that their members are interested in. When the laws pass the lobbyists then educate their constituents on the issues that are passed. Although many members of the public believe that lobbyists bribe congressmen for votes, they are more involved in the information aspect of the policy making process. The passing of information to the law makers is the most important and time consuming part of the job. Lobbyists want the correct information given to lawmakers to make the important decisions. The majority of the time they try to persuade lawmakers that their data is more accurate than their opponent’s data. The methods lobbyists use to persuade law makers for decisions vary. The first method that lobbyists use to persuade law makers is called direct lobbying. This method utilizes direct contact with the law maker to influence their decision; usually through a meeting with a congressmen or one of the congressmen’s assistants. The lobbyist does not