Agreed. I believe in a free market that's fair. We need stringent controls for corruption. I've always thought that any company convicted of corruption of any kind (environmental, market manipulation, damaging monopolistic practices) should have to forfeit profits for 5 years and all Officer/President/Board/Chair level employees be put in Jail for the same mandatory term as well as pay massive fines. All Publicly traded companies should have ZERO capability to contribute financially to politics and not be allowed any PAC/lobbying. Period.

This is a government for the people and by the people.... not for the corporation and by the market. Any proxy/3rd parties acting on behalf of said companies or receiving any benefit from them fall under same set of rules. And if they could pass that, they should limit industry involvement in any federal or local "planning" and if it's allowed at all, it's immediately public (unlike our energy policy "contributors"). Couldn't get anyone to start any businesses you say? Phooey I say right back. Plenty of market to go around and plenty of honest corporations mean that someone somewhere will get it done. If you make it so any government official convicted of corruption serves extensive sentences and forfeits all past earnings and pension, well, that's just icing on the cake. I doubt anything like all that would pass though....

I'm aware of the shenanigans and the utilities lobbied HARD for deregulation... Ma Bell has nearly come back together again and our Internet connectivity fell behind by a lot in the last 5 years. The country who invented it is nowhere near the top in getting it to it's people. It's like half of the people in the united states not having TV, only worse because the Internet is so much more than TV ever could be.

Our problem is that we let too much of this go on. Political campaign funding and lobbying reform is truly the first major step and the rest would probably fall in line quickly. Otherwise, I'm afraid we are headed for a PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. regime and a police state. Many argue that we are already in that state and just in denial.

What I continue to find amazing is how the public trust continues to be violated and seemingly nobody gives a damn. Makes me want to run for office. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />