Google Spent $14M Lobbying Lawmakers In 2013

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$14 million? I'm actually surprised Google hasn't spent more than that. Politician's aren't cheap. ;)

Google led in lobbying spending by ten tech firms who pumped a combined $61.15 million into efforts to influence federal regulators and lawmakers in 2013, up 15.9 percent from a combined total of $52.78 million, according to records filed with the Clerk of the House this week.
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le sigh :(

Lobbying started out good. People needed to have their voice heard. Now, it's just legal bribery.
 
That's the traceable Lobbying. Not the giving jobs to the kids of potential doners, throwing parties where spontaneously the contribution hat gets passed around, etc.
 
Wonder how much of that of that $14 million was spent in San Francisco since they recently got the city to agree to a payment method for their buses to stop at the city bus stops. $1 per bus per stop per day, which they say translates to about a million bucks a year over the 200 stops they'll use.
 
jpm100 said:
That's the traceable Lobbying. Not the giving jobs to the kids of potential doners, throwing parties where spontaneously the contribution hat gets passed around, etc.
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My thoughts exactly. This is the sum that's legal money. All the bribery is done under the table naturally.
 
Wonder how much went toward convincing senators to stop the NSA snooping?
 
chockomonkey said:
le sigh :(

Lobbying started out good. People needed to have their voice heard. Now, it's just legal bribery.
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Who knows if it is in Google's case or not? I remember when they didn't do any lobbying and then the FairSearch came out to play and tried to have them investigated for anti-trust violations. :/

As time goes on they do seem to become progressively eviler, but much like their position on patents I figure this course of action was forced on them.
 
BBA said:
Wonder how much went toward convincing senators to stop the NSA snooping?
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NSA has paid huge sums to companies to assist in snooping. My guess is that it has been very profitable for Google ;)
 
Pffffft... peanuts compared to the process food industry. Need that salt!

What isn't corrupt these days?
 
This is why our government will fail. Greedy politicians can't satiate the masses forever.
 
When are people going to wise up and vote in some Libertarians for a change? Small companies are already at a huge disadvantage because they can't afford the Yale educated super tax evading experts that can massively reduce their tax burden and they can't afford the bribes and superpacs and other BS that the megacorporations have to make laws in their interest. And the people suffer too, as their wishes are outweighed by corporate interests that get the politicians the campaign money and constant favors (take them out to Hawaii for a "seminar" all expense paid for the senators whole family and $10K a plate contributions at dinner fund raiser etc), or just outright hint that if their interests are challenged they will back the competitor's campaign. No surprise for example that virtually every major player in the financial institution made massive contributions to the Obama administration... they do NOT do this out of charity, but as a return on investment, and they wouldn't invest unless time and time again it was fruitful to get back at least as much as they put in.

And while we are voting in Libertarians, let them also eliminate the IRS as promised and implement a flat tax which would also close all the tax loopholes for the megacorporations and put small companies on equal footing in that regard at least.
 
$14 million?

That puts them ahead of Comcast, GE, AT&T, Boeing(!), Lockheed, Exxon (!), Verizon, Microsoft, Apple, and the RIAA and MPAA combined.

scary what that money might be buying them.
 
I'm sure that's what was "officially" spent... <wink,wink,nudge,nudge>
 
I'm betting a good portion of that money went into convincing congress to increase H1B caps.
 
B00nie said:
NSA has paid huge sums to companies to assist in snooping. My guess is that it has been very profitable for Google ;)
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The circle of bribery, congress authorizes money for the NSA, the NSA bribes tech companies, tech companies lobby congress.
 
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