Lawyers and law firms contributed $270 Million dollars. This makes them the largest special interest group in terms of contributions. In fact they are more than the next 10 largest groups combined. 74% of their funds went to democrats in 2008





Insurance "donates" $47 million but they are more balanced in their congress person buying:



needless to say, Republicans are just as corrupt as the Democrats. It is just that in this one case it is more democrats than republicans - then again 26% of $270 million still will buy you the vote you want.

Wait, are you saying the Democrats are trying to hinder real health care reform?

Say it ain't SO!!

ZOMG, are you implying that most politicians, regardless of political affiliation, are corrupt ba$tard$ who are more interested in personal or party gain than the public???

I think it's a travesty that lawyers and lobbyists interfere with the best interests of the public.

What is needed to reduce corruption is term limits. We need to do away with life-time politicians.

You know... it seems like such an obvious solution... but I don't know if it will ever come to fruition. But your right. If politicians are granted a limited amt of time they would act in the best interest of the public instead of trying to find ways to keep their jobs.

Let me get this straight, are you saying politicians can be corrupt?

Term limits is a fine idea. But that's a bit vague. If you make the term limits too short, you'd actually increase corruption, not shrink it. Need to be quite specific.

And tort reform is a fine idea as well, but, by tort reform, I assume you don't really just mean malpractice caps do you, which is, of course, governmental intrusion into the market? Gasp!

The bigger question, of course, is that trial lawyers are to be had just like any other special interest group. Why have they side with the Democrats? And if you say it's because Republicans or libertarians value freedom, I'm going to smack you for being stupid. The Republicans have a vast number of issues they could've gotten trial lawyers involved in, and yet, have not. At least not successfully. What gives? It seems like they would've had double awesomeness insured through guarding of their tax interests as well as inflation of their coffers. It's odd.