Right now coal is still king. Coal provides 50% of the electricity production for the U.S. while natural gas provides about 20% of that production.

Now, however, with an energy bill in Congress, the battle lines are being drawn between the coal and natural gas companies. Each side is marshaling an army of lobbyists to descend upon Congress. Each side will make pitches to Congress to gain favor for their companies.

Continue reading Battle lines are drawn in Congress over clean coal and natural gas energy

Battle lines are drawn in Congress over clean coal and natural gas energy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Bailed out businesses slash lobbying budgets

Bailed out businesses slash lobbying budgets originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In a word: yes.

Despite all the talk about regulating these speculative investment vehicles, "Obama's financial overhaul plan included no big surprises or threats to the lucrative, secretive industry," writes The Wall Street Journal.

The name of the game is lobbying, which is easily funded by the $1.3 trillion dollar industry. Even after numerous Ponzi schemes and frauds have recently been exposed, the U.S. government has failed at regulating hedge funds, the most speculative area in finance, in part due to the industry's lobbying efforts.

Continue reading Is Wall Street influencing Obama's regulations?

Is Wall Street influencing Obama's regulations? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Much has been written about the add-ons or 'pork' in the rescue package passed by the U.S. Congress and signed President Bush.

The add-ons, which increased the bill's projected cost by $130-$165 billion, depending on the analysis, have been viewed as another example of "special interest lobbying," "sneaky ways to get pet projects passed," "ripping off the taxpayer" and/or as simply un-American.

Well, the truth is, add-ons in the United States have taken place in every Congress since the nation was founded. Further, no one really knows who made the first legislative "deal," but to say that senators in ancient Rome or officials in Greece, did not trade votes for projects or patronage would be a stretch.

"Democracy is the worst system ...

Of course, it's much more ethical -- some would call it virtuous -- to propose a bill, then get a large majority to render a decision on the program/policy/law solely on its merits, driven by whether the bill is in the nation's interest.

And likewise, add-ons/pork can increase federal spending by substantial amounts, which makes it harder for the federal government -- or any government, for that matter -- to live within its means.

Continue reading It's probably best to not watch sausage or legislation being made

It's probably best to not watch sausage or legislation being made originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On Super Tuesday, as the United States approaches its first $1 billion election, the chorus sounds a familiar refrain.

The conventional wisdom regarding campaign spending -- that the U.S. is spending too much on campaigns, or that certain groups have too much influence -- reminds me of what Mark Twain said about the the public's attitude toward the weather: "Everybody complains about the weather, but no one ever seems to be able to do something about it."

While some would argue that campaign spending is not a problem, for the sake of argument let's assume that the conventional wisdom on campaign spending is valid. The next logical question would be, what changes could and should we make to the current campaign spending laws?

Limits on campaign spending? The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Congress and regulators can do this, but only up to a degree, as beyond a certain point it violates the First Amendment's free speech right.

Continue reading As U.S. approaches $1 billion campaign, what can be done to control spending?

As U.S. approaches $1 billion campaign, what can be done to control spending? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Best Buy (BBY) spends $235K on lobbying efforts so far in 2007 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Welcome to Media World, my new weekly column, which will cover the highs and lows of today's media. I am, as they say, platform agnostic, meaning that I expect to offend both the mainstream and new media. I look forward to your feedback.

For my first column, I'd like to direct your attention to Citizen K Street, a 27-part series the Washington Post Co. (NYSE:WPO) is running on the Web site of its flagship paper about the rise of Washington lobbyist Gerald S.J. Cassidy. I'm sure the series, which was a herculean effort, will win all sorts of awards as these sorts of projects usually do.

But it's 27 parts. Who has the time to devote to reading a newspaper series that last that long about any topic? Is anything worth that degree of fuss?

One person who doesn't think so is Cassidy. In his blog, he seemed stunned by attention he's gotten from the Post. "There are so many other issues that face our country that are much more deserving of this attention." he writes.

Don't buy the false modesty.

Lobbying is plenty important, particularly in light of the Jack Abramoff scandal. It's also a huge business in Washington as Post Associate Editor Robert Kasier, who wrote the series, pointed out to me.

But I wonder whether Citizen K Street will only appeal to the most passionate of political junkies, the types of people who watch C-Span instead of "American Idol." Kaiser, who has been at the Post for 43 years, doesn't know either.

"I can't say I am sure we will have a huge audience," he said. "We are asking people to do something that they are not used to doing."

Continue reading Media World: Is the Washington Post nuts to do a 27-part series?

Media World: Is the Washington Post nuts to do a 27-part series? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.