# How much legislative activity is about gaming the system? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 29, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-legislative-activity-is-about-gaming-the-system/664839 "2013-07-29T19:03:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 15
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-legislative-activity-is-about-gaming-the-system/664839/15 "2013-07-30T12:45:44Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > .. in 1974, 3 percent of retiring members of Congress became lobbyists. “Now 50 percent of senators and 42 percent of congressmen do.” No one goes home anymore. > > [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/books/review/this-town-by-mark-leibovich.html?pagewanted=all&\_r=0](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/books/review/this-town-by-mark-leibovich.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) That is an amazing and saddening statistic. I wish you guys would listen to me. 😉 > [@What Would Your Ideal Political Party Platform Be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-ideal-political-party-platform-be/658213/68): > > My “platform.”… > [ul] > [li] Reduce the power of money in politics. Overturn _Supreme Court vs. H.sapiens_, by Constitutional Amendment if necessary. Re-implement and strengthen public campaign financing, controls against media concentration, etc. Ban public officials from retiring to serve as lobbyists.[/li][li] …[/li][/ul] I think the corrupting influence of money is the biggest factor that has turned U.S. “democracy” into a sham. Given their life tenure, one might place part of the blame on Scalia and the other Stooges. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-legislative-activity-is-about-gaming-the-system/664839)._