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Democracy Now! reports via AlterNet
Ken Salazar is a former U.S. Senator from Colorado who now works at WilmerHale, one of the most influential lobbying firms in Washington. Some groups have criticized Salazar's selection due to his vocal support of fracking, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the Keystone XL pipeline.
In addition to Ken Salazar, other leaders of the transition team include former Obama National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, Center for American Progress head Neera Tanden, former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, and Maggie Williams, the director of Harvard's Institute of Politics.
[...] WilmerHale [represents] corporate clients across the board--Cigna, for instance. Cigna is a healthcare giant that is fighting for a merger with Anthem. WilmerHale represents them, Delta Airlines, Verizon, investment firms, a mining company. So, WilmerHale is a major law and lobbying firm.
Ken Salazar is not a registered lobbyist at WilmerHale; he is a partner there. Interestingly enough, Hillary Clinton had published a year ago an op-ed deriding the revolving door where lawmakers leave office and become lobbyists or help special interests. And she had specifically said that she was concerned about lawmakers who go into that line of work, public policy work, for corporate clients, but do not register as a lobbyist, which seems to fit the description of Ken Salazar.
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Friday August 19 2016, @07:14AM
You are lucky that curroption was formalized. You haven't lived in countries where corruption happens behind the scenes and pointing it out can get you arrested.
(Score: 1) by Francis on Friday August 19 2016, @02:14PM
I disagree, a corrupt system like that is one that will eventually change. At some point people will get fed up with it and have enough civil disobedience that it changes. Or the system just fails under its own weight.
A system with formalized corruption can generally go on like that indefinitely as there's going to be people that don't see it and it's generally more stable so the civil unrest is somewhat less likely.
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Friday August 19 2016, @05:17PM
That is just wishful thinking in a globalized world. Let us change our understanding of the system first by acknowledging that:
1) There are no land masses left to discover.
2) There are no land masses where you can declare yourself a winner, do whatever-the-hell you want to, and basically become the system.
3) That revolutions are going to happen.
Look at the the latest history - look in middle east which was apparently going through some sort of "spring". Just see what is happening there. Which country is funding which authoritarian regime. What is happening to the mastermind of this butcher (HINT: she is about to become the most power woman in the world). Let us just accept the fact that your situation under a system that accepts and formalizes corruption is way way waaaaaaay better than people participating in a revolution against a corrupt system that is several continents away from your country. This is a globalized world and time has come for us to modify our behavior accordingly. Tough for you, but I don't think you are billionaire.
When the so called world-wars were happening, only a handful of countries were fighting each other albeit all over the world. The failure of system you are hoping for, this time, will be true world war where all the countries will be fighting with each other and all the governments will have nuclear weapon. There is no shorter way.
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Friday August 19 2016, @05:20PM
*****
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