The Effects Of Free Speech On The United States - 1729 Words

As an American citizen and a late bloomer to the political arena in the United States, I find myself arriving in an disheartening and frightening environment. Where I have suddenly awoken in a dis-utopian world of money, power and greed, where the rich elites of the population has all the power to speak up. Where money has become more out-spoken and heard than actual dialog, while the majority of the population remains silenced through underfunded attempts to express their views. Giving money the potency of free speech enables only the people with a financial mouth to resonate loud enough to be heard. Presidents, Senators, Legislators and House of Representative members are involved in the process of making policies and laws, who are†¦show more content†¦Lobbying is a way for self interest groups to persuade the outcomes of policies through discussions and research. Thurber, James PHD in political science, director and founder of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and a distinguished Professor at the Public Affairs American University, acknowledges in his research paper â€Å"President Obama, Congress and the Battle with Interest Groups and Lobbyists† identifies lobbying as â€Å"fundamentally [able to] influence the way issues and problems [are] framed and ultimately the way policies are made in Washington† (3). Self interest groups and lobbyists should have power to influence through debate in the United States on domestic policies that affect U.S. citizens. However, there is a overwhelming amount of cash being poured into politics to persuade decisions. Not only from U.S. interests, but foreign interest groups are pouring millions of dollars into American lobbying groups to persuade U.S. policies that affect millions of American citizens nation wide. Many lobbying groups give foreign investors whose interests do not coincide with the American citizens, a vehicle to influence U.S. domestic policies. Julia DiLaura, an investigative journalist for the Center of Public Integrity, confirms this in her article â€Å"Foreign Governments Pay to Influence U.S. Policy†, illustrates that these