A GRAPH OF CORRUPTION

From the WaPo, 6/22/05


Here's an excerpt from the accompanying article:

The Road to Riches Is Called K Street
Lobbying Firms Hire More, Pay More,
Charge More to Influence Government
By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 22, 2005; Page A01

The number of registered lobbyists in Washington has more than doubled since 2000 to more than 34,750 while the amount that lobbyists charge their new clients has increased by as much as 100 percent.

The lobbying boom has been caused by three factors, experts say: rapid growth in government, Republican control of both the White House and Congress, and wide acceptance among corporations that they need to hire professional lobbyists to secure their share of federal benefits.

Starting salaries have risen to about $300,000 a year for the best-connected aides eager to "move downtown" from Capitol Hill or the Bush administration.

"We've got a problem here," said Allan Cigler, a political scientist at the University of Kansas. "The growth of lobbying makes even worse than it is already the balance between those with resources and those without resources."