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Lobbyist Licence Auction

Fundraises for government while being a form of self-administered sin tax
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Cities often auction a set number of taxicab medallions needed to legally operate a cab within that city. Similarly the licences lobbyists require, for example, to operate at the federal level, could be limited in number, given an arbitrary lifespan, and auctioned. This would serve to fundraise for the government, 'sin-tax' the lobbyist, and generally pit them against one another for the general public's amusement and satisfaction. Furthermore, the auction's themselves could be televised, limited in time and capacity, with tickets to the auction in turn being auctioned off immediately before the event, with the ticket auction also televised.

This could be fun and educational for the public, and as Washington D.C. reportedly has 35,000 lobbyists spending $6 billion/year on lobbying, might actually raise significant funds for our democracy.

briancady413, Apr 26 2011

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       What's a liceance?
RayfordSteele, Apr 26 2011
  

       Something to do with bloodsucking parasites?
spidermother, Apr 26 2011
  

       Making it even harder for true grass roots lobbying to be heard.
MechE, Apr 26 2011
  

       MechE, I hope that financially discouraging lobbyists would allow the true voices of the American people to be better heard.
briancady413, Apr 26 2011
  

       only if you think that articulation of //the true voices of the American people// is best done by the rich.
pocmloc, Apr 26 2011
  

       //only if you think that articulation of //the true voices of the American people// is best done by the rich.//   

       I think [Brian]'s idea admits that the rich are already buying "the true voice", so why not tax them on it?
Boomershine, Apr 26 2011
  

       //Furthermore, the auction's themselves//   

       So activists from the the Apostrophe Protection Society will have to pay too?
TomP, Apr 26 2011
  

       Instead of having the lobbyists pay annually for a license, why not have them pay as they go: this much for a private meeting, cheaper rate for a meeting with 10 other attendees, special rates for a dinner with a hundred attendees, where you sit through a speech for chance to shake hands and maybe speak a few well-chosen words in the the great one's ear .... Essentially, the same system we have now, except the money goes to the government instead of the reelection campaign fund. (Though one could claim the present system *is* raising funds for our democracy.)   

       Pursuing the taxicab metaphor, legislators would have meters, with a little flag they flipped down, and, as the lobbyists made their pitch, they could see the total increasing ....
mouseposture, Apr 27 2011
  
      
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