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From: tim@isrnix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Reagan"s Press Conference
Message-ID: <268@isrnix.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 7-Jul-83 06:59:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: isrnix.268
Posted: Thu Jul  7 06:59:01 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 8-Jul-83 19:16:59 EDT
References: cvl.452
Lines: 26

Cliff Shaffer suggests that Reagans succes in getting Congress to
vote his way is evidence of his intelligence or at least lack of
stupidity.  There may be some grounds for that assessment. In which
case then his public statements about the number of people employed
or his administrations education spending are not a question of
ignorance but of baldfaced lies.  But there is another thing to
be considered here: there is a vast array of corporate lobbyists
in Washington who will push for their interests. Given the alliance
of these forces and the executive branches forces (e.g. I believe
the Pentagon has a force of some 1000 lobbyists just for itself)
it is no wonder that Reagan gets what he wants when it invariably
favors corporate interests over the public interest. Who funds 
Congressional campaigns? Who takes Congressmen out to dinner
or for vacations in Bermuda or what have you? Most Americans would
be amazed at the amount and type of stuff that is outright given to
Congressmen.  One of my friends worked in a Congressmen's office
and he was surprised to find this Congressmen receiving all sorts of
records from record companies, among them Frank Zappa! 
"we'll send him anything, and SOMETHING will appeal to his tastes"
must be the record companies philosophy. I wonder how many other
companies do that? Probably many.......
So it is no surprise when Congress votes for corporate interests!
It takes major struggles on the part of citizens to get Congress
to vote against corporate interests.
    Tim Sevener
    decvax!pur-ee!iuvax!isrnix!tim