A Big Government Perpetual Motion Machine

In his article, Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying: A National Problem, Phil Kerpen points out that taxpayer-funded lobbyists work in DC, not just in Austin:

The effect is far greater than the already sizable amounts spent by local government entities on lobbying, which is about $50 million in Texas alone. A 2004 study by the Center for the Public Integrity found that local governments spend $380 million on federal lobbying over a six year period. This fails to include the even more pernicious practice of ostensibly nongovernmental organizations that receive tax dollars and engage in lobbying, often with no disclosure.

This is a self-perpetuating problem: the national effect of taxpayer-funded lobbying, though difficult to quantify, is likely many billions of dollars in higher spending and higher taxes, at the state and federal levels, that were not requested or wanted by voters.

No disclosure is part of why this is such a serious problem.