BAN CORPORATE LOBBYING

Banning lobbying would sever the pipeline between money and political power, restoring governance to the people instead of the highest bidder.

Politics was supposed to be about representing the people, not about carefully calculated deals made over steak dinners and private golf courses. Yet here we are, with entire industries spending billions—not on innovation, not on public services, but on convincing lawmakers to rig the game in their favor. This is lobbying, and it has transformed democracy from a public good into a private auction.

In the U.S. alone, lobbying expenditures regularly exceed $3 billion per year. That’s not campaign financing—that’s just the money spent on direct persuasion. Corporate lobbyists roam the halls of Congress like well-dressed vultures, ensuring that policies never lean too far toward the public interest. Pharmaceutical companies, weapons manufacturers, Big Tech, Wall Street—every major industry has an army of lobbyists ensuring their interests are protected, whether or not those interests align with what’s best for society. Spoiler: they usually don’t.

Take Big Pharma. The industry spent $384.5 million on federal lobbying. The result? Drug prices in the U.S. are among the highest in the world, even though many medications are developed using public funds. But when profits are on the line, lobbyists ensure that policies favor monopolies and price-gouging over patient access.

Or consider the financial sector. After the 2008 crisis—caused by reckless, underregulated banking practices—one might assume that new laws would be put in place to prevent another disaster. And they were. Briefly. But Wall Street’s lobbyists got to work, chipping away at those regulations, ensuring that their ability to gamble with the economy remained largely intact.

Defense contractors? They practically own Washington. Every time there’s talk of reducing military spending, lobbyists swing into action, flooding lawmakers with donations, job promises, and fear-mongering narratives about global threats. The U.S. spends more on its military than the next ten countries combined, not because the public demands it, but because defense lobbyists ensure that war is always a profitable business.

Big Tech lobbyists argue that their industry needs “light-touch regulation” while quietly ensuring that privacy laws remain weak, monopolies remain unbroken, and AI remains in the hands of corporations rather than the public. They manufacture just enough self-regulation to appear responsible while ensuring that meaningful oversight remains nonexistent.

The psychological effects of lobbying on democracy are corrosive. It breeds cynicism, disengagement, and learned helplessness. People see how the system works—not for them, but against them—and conclude that their vote doesn’t matter. And why should they believe otherwise? When policies consistently favor corporations, billionaires, and industry insiders, it’s hard to shake the feeling that democracy is little more than a performance designed to maintain an illusion of public control.

Lobbying distorts governance, ensuring that problems are never fully solved—only managed in ways that remain profitable for those in power. Climate change? Fossil fuel lobbyists ensure that real action is slow, weak, and riddled with loopholes. Healthcare? Insurance and pharmaceutical companies make sure that universal coverage remains a political impossibility. Worker rights? Corporate lobbyists push for “business-friendly” policies that keep wages low and unions weak.

Some defenders argue that lobbying is just “advocacy” and that banning it would limit free speech. But let’s be clear—lobbying isn’t about speech; it’s about access. The average citizen can write letters, protest, or sign petitions, but they don’t get closed-door meetings with lawmakers, lavish dinners, and revolving-door job offers. Money buys access, and access buys influence. That’s not democracy; it’s oligarchy with extra steps.

So, what’s the alternative? For starters, outright banning corporate lobbying as it currently exists. No more corporate-funded persuasion masquerading as policymaking. Lawmakers should listen to constituents, independent researchers, and public-interest organizations—not high-paid representatives of multinational corporations. Public interest lobbying—advocacy by citizen groups, labor unions, and non-profits—should not be lumped into the same category as corporate lobbying. The difference is fundamental: one represents the will of the people, the other represents concentrated financial power.

Bar former politicians from becoming lobbyists. The revolving door between government and private industry must be slammed shut. No more “public servants” who spend a few years in office before cashing in on their insider knowledge to work for the very industries they were supposed to regulate.

Campaign finance reform must accompany a lobbying ban. Publicly funded elections will reduce the financial dependency that drives politicians toward lobbyists in the first place. If money is removed from elections, lawmakers will have less incentive to cozy up to corporate interests.

Stronger transparency laws must be implemented. Any meetings between lawmakers and interest groups should be publicly documented and open for scrutiny. No shadowy backroom deals. No more legislation written by corporate lawyers. Every interaction between lawmakers and industry should be as visible as a bad haircut under fluorescent lighting.

Reducing corporate influence is possible. In Norway, strict regulations limit corporate lobbying, and public funding ensures elections remain fair. In Canada, lobbying is regulated and must be publicly disclosed. And in the European Union, lobbying is monitored to prevent undue corporate influence.

Banning corporate lobbying is about restoring balance, ensuring that policy is shaped by public need, not private greed. It’s about dismantling the system that turns lawmakers into puppets and corporations into puppet masters.

Therefore, under Folklaw:

Corporate lobbying shall be banned in all forms. No company, industry group, or corporate representative shall be allowed to influence lawmakers through financial contributions, private meetings, or policy drafting. Former politicians shall be prohibited from working as lobbyists, and all government meetings with interest groups must be recorded and made publicly available.

Citizen advocacy and non-profit lobbying will remain protected, ensuring that democratic participation is preserved.