There are new calls in Washington to reform a system that gives enormous power to special interest lobbyists. It’s a good idea, but any reforms in this realm will almost certainly be ephemeral. As former House Speaker Tip O’Neil once observed, “money is the mother’s milk of politics,” and lobbyists funnel a lot of the stuff into political campaigns.
Mother’s Milk
(The K Street Poem)
Money, Money is what talks,
No one in the Beltway walks;
Nothing tops the mighty power
Of this endless dollar shower.
Need a special taxing break?
Legislators soothe the ache.
Having trouble with a reg?
Heavy hitters need not beg.
Money, money, is what talks,
No one in the Beltway walks.
Year by year the anger grows
‘Bout these tawdry money flows.
Pols beat breasts and wring their hands,
When they’re done the old way stands.
Money, money, is what talks,
No one in the Beltway walks.
All imbibe this mother’s milk,
Feeling not a twinge of guilt;
They’re convinced it’s well deserved,
Look at all the hours they slaved.
Money, money is what talks,
No one in the Beltway walks.
Worse than favors and collusion,
Legislators’ self-delusion;
From their sellout ‘public service’
Maybe only God can save us.
Money, Money is what talks,
No one in the Beltway walks.
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