Suzanimal
03-17-2015, 02:14 PM
These large corporations spent $5.8 billion on lobbying and received $4.4 trillion in government contracts and subsidies
Talk about a good return on investment.
Research from the Sunlight Foundation reveals that 200 large corporations dropped about $6 billion on lobbying and campaign contributions between 2007 and 2012. In exchange, the businesses received a whopping $4.4 trillion in contracts and subsidies. The Sunlight Foundation did the math on that ratio so you don’t have to:
After examining 14 million records, including data on campaign contributions, lobbying expenditures, federal budget allocations and spending, we found that, on average, for every dollar spent on influencing politics, the nation’s most politically active corporations received $760 from the government. The $4.4 trillion total represents two-thirds of the $6.5 trillion that individual taxpayers paid into the federal treasury. …
Of the 200 companies analyzed for [this study], 28 are in what the money in politics research organization the Center for Responsive Politics classifies as the communications and electronics sector, 21 in healthcare, 13 in defense and aerospace, 13 agribusinesses, 11 in energy and natural resources, and 7 in transportation. The biggest sector, accounting for 48 of the 200, was finance, insurance and real estate, which is consistently the largest source of campaign funds for politicians cycle after cycle.
Here’s a visual breakdown of that same ratio by average lobbying expenditures and benefits for each of those 200 corporations:
http://i.imgur.com/pFuOYZV.png
Read more at http://rare.us/story/these-large-corporations-spent-5-8-billion-lobbying-and-received-4-4-trillion-in-government-contracts-and-subsidies/#YUGpKilxJDbQBTzL.99
Talk about a good return on investment.
Research from the Sunlight Foundation reveals that 200 large corporations dropped about $6 billion on lobbying and campaign contributions between 2007 and 2012. In exchange, the businesses received a whopping $4.4 trillion in contracts and subsidies. The Sunlight Foundation did the math on that ratio so you don’t have to:
After examining 14 million records, including data on campaign contributions, lobbying expenditures, federal budget allocations and spending, we found that, on average, for every dollar spent on influencing politics, the nation’s most politically active corporations received $760 from the government. The $4.4 trillion total represents two-thirds of the $6.5 trillion that individual taxpayers paid into the federal treasury. …
Of the 200 companies analyzed for [this study], 28 are in what the money in politics research organization the Center for Responsive Politics classifies as the communications and electronics sector, 21 in healthcare, 13 in defense and aerospace, 13 agribusinesses, 11 in energy and natural resources, and 7 in transportation. The biggest sector, accounting for 48 of the 200, was finance, insurance and real estate, which is consistently the largest source of campaign funds for politicians cycle after cycle.
Here’s a visual breakdown of that same ratio by average lobbying expenditures and benefits for each of those 200 corporations:
http://i.imgur.com/pFuOYZV.png
Read more at http://rare.us/story/these-large-corporations-spent-5-8-billion-lobbying-and-received-4-4-trillion-in-government-contracts-and-subsidies/#YUGpKilxJDbQBTzL.99