Microsoft Lobbying Eclipses Enron
We need more articles like this. ZDNet today posted a very interesting article, "Microsoft's lobbying efforts eclipse Enron," which does a little politcial contribution bean counting to see how Microsoft compares to Enron, and other major corporations.
The results aren't surprising to those who follow the Microsoft anti-trust case(s), but they are damning. Choice quote:
Microsoft's direct lobbying has also grown out of all proportion, so that it now retains more lobbyists than the handful of companies with more than 300,000 employees. Microsoft has just 30,000 employees. Part of the reasoning for extensive use of retainers, says Roeder, citing a Business Week article, is to 'suck all the oxygen out'. In Washington State, Microsoft has hired many law firms with antitrust expertise to work in unrelated areas.
The strategy was extended to other key states, with the dual benefits of starving the opposition of experienced lobbyists, and achieving political results that have benefited the company's case.
In other words, Microsoft is hiring every lobbyist and law firm specializing in antitrust litigation it can get it's bloody hands on just to fill up their day planners with bogus projects. That way, no lobbyist or law firm will be accessible or have the time to take on new clients that may have competing interests with Microsoft.
It's a egregious, disgusting display of American corporate power over the Federal government. If only someone like John McCain would rattle his light saber again and use Microsoft as a shining example of soft money gone mad.
Comments
I think the political attitude is like this:
It's one thing when enron _removes_ money from the economy by lobbying and then tanking.
It's another when MS is apparently _adding_ money to the economy (hiring lawyers, piling cash at Congress' front door). Besides, they aren't tanking, so what they're doing must be all right, right?
Posted by: andrew at February 15, 2002 5:07 AM
