Bank Lobbying Expenditures Up 12% In '09, Led By JPMorgan's 30 Lobbyists

latimes.com:

Lobbying expenditures jumped 12% from 2008 to $29.8 million last year among the eight banks and private equity firms that spent the most to influence legislation, according to data compiled from disclosure forms filed with Congress.

The biggest spender was JPMorgan Chase & Co., whose lobbying budget rose 12% to $6.2 million, enough for the firm to have more than 30 lobbyists working for it.

Read the whole story: latimes.com

Comments

[jackhole]

07:31 PM on 02/16/2010

In 3,2,1...

[foxinretreat]

02:35 PM on 02/16/2010

I know people that are walking away from their mortgages, they are able to rent for half of their mortgage payment, the big banks wouldn't work with them, they just said forget you. It's a way to get back at these pi.gs.

[jinxed]

03:06 PM on 02/16/2010

Rent in the town I live in is about double a house payment. How would you like to rent a two bedroom house for $1200/mo?

[jinxed]

02:22 PM on 02/16/2010

Just more of the saying one thing publicly and DOING something else entirely different behind closed doors. I guess banks still think the are the only smart ones on the planet and everybody else are idiots. And I can picture them in their buildings on the ntop floors looking down and laughing their a$$ed off as they look upon the devastation they have caused while admiring all the money they have stolen in the past forty years..

As long as the banks are allowed to spend millions to buy influence for favorable legislation that allows them to abuse their customers and gamble with their customers money, NOTHING WILL CHANGE! This mess we have gone and are still going through should NEVER be allowed to happen again. All I can say is, if I had my way EVERY TBTF would be nationalized, audited and broken up with all the parts sold back to private industry with laws prohibiting them to get bigger and consolidate their stranglehold on the economy. The CEOs would be fined one half of their total worth for allowing as well as promoting what happened. The funds from these fines would be put in the Treasury to pay down the deficit they helped to create. THIS MUST NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN, EVER!!!

[novoorganum]

02:22 PM on 02/16/2010

“““When the bewildered herd asks its government to do something. The conservatives and moderate democrats and their self-entitled paymasters make vacuous statements like: Get a Job, free-market, blah, blah, blah. But, when our government acts on behalf of wall street, banks, ceo's, agro-business, private defense contractors, corporations, in the form of subsidies and bailouts; you get rationalizations. In other words, what they are really saying is: socialism for private wealth and power, but for you and I-- the free-market-- where if you fail, it is your own fault-- tough luck and tough love.

Novo””

[abbyrose86]

02:27 PM on 02/16/2010

Yep pretty much.

[drumsgirl]

02:27 PM on 02/16/2010

Nope - I'm a Republican and we shouldn't have bailed anyone out. I understand the need to do some to keep the entire economy from collapsing when it was the banks -but the auto makers etc? pftt If your business fails - it should fail. The loans to the banks should not have been forced (yes, they forced some banks that didn't need the money to take it) and it should have had a very short loan term. We also shouldn't have been helping buy folks personal property - ie Cash for Clunkers.

[jinxed]

02:59 PM on 02/16/2010

And the likes of Goldman and their cronies who sold the same mortgage-backed derivatives to eight or ten different "investors" is OK with you? It is just like a car dealer selling the same car to ten people then saying, Oh, my bad, I need taxpayer money to bail out my fraud scheme but because I'm a huge you have to give me money or I'll tank the economy. Fraud and extortion anybody?

[Shake-A-Spear]

02:10 PM on 02/16/2010

Please let's not have another agency result from all this -- even one to "protect the consuemr." Only work these agencies do is send memos to each other within the agency. Or they go "to class" to learn how better to serve the public, but they're so busy with that there's nobody around to answer a phone or help a consumer who needs the help they're "at school" learning how to give.

Tell ya what, kiddies: start fixing the agency that's already up and running,and limping along: The IRS.. Specifically their "Customer Help" (or whatever they call it) Diivision. Get them to answer their phones in less than half an hour. Get rid of the canned "waiting time" music. Hire agents who can answer taxpayers' questions CORRECTLY. Do all this before even THINKING about yet another agency to help the public.

You're like the Boy Scout who wants to help the lady cross the street. BUT SHE DOESN'T WANNA CROSS THE DAMN STREET! (Just make sure it's paved so she doesn't trip and flop on her rear as she crosses on her own.) Catch?

[foxinretreat]

02:06 PM on 02/16/2010

I must give fox propaganda credit when credit is due, they created a job. Someone spends their day going over the number of times President Obama uses the word "I" in his speeches. Apparently fox propaganda sees something very sinister and socialistic in the use of that word. I'm glad fox propaganda is doing its best to keep its sheeple informed of these latest developments.

[drumsgirl]

02:29 PM on 02/16/2010

Just like there are people who count the number of times an obscenity is used on tv , or how many times a sexual theme is expressed on tv etc. If I understand it correctly, his use of the word *I* is not indicitive of his socialist leanings, but is indicitive of his overblown ego and narcissistic personality.

[MNinWI]

02:04 PM on 02/16/2010

That link didn't copy right-let me try again. Comments to FDIC [e-mail]

[MNinWI]

02:02 PM on 02/16/2010

MoveOn is sending out an email so you can comment to the FDIC. Thy are taking public comments on the proposed new rule on compensation practices until this Thursday. Here is the link to do that. mailto:[e-mail]

[funkyirishdem]

02:01 PM on 02/16/2010

The Moment that you were elected Sir,...the moment you won the nomination Sir...the moment you announced your candidancy Sir ...forces were working against you and still are.

Mr. President, deals were done that handicapped you before even taking office. Massive sums of money on an historical scale were lost or either taken out of the economy. ''Scorched earth'' policy was in full swing waiting for you and the blame ready to lay at your feet.

The suffering and pain of people being laid off...having their homes taken away ...losing everything was to be left for you. All efforts to help those people ...the American public have been obstructed ..delayed ...and answered with a NO from the Republican party. Bankers took the money and ran..AND WORSE ...held back that money so that EVEN MORE could be blamed on you SIr.

When congress wanted to extend employment benefits to help ease the suffering ...the right fillibustered for a month while almost 200,000 people went off the rolls..losing everything ...

When you tried to fix health care , the special interests took hold by any means necessary. They have lied and misled...and delayed while people d1e...

You have tried to change it all from within ...

Now you stand there ...NOT ALONE ..STRONG STILL ...

HAVING NOW CAPTURED A TOP AL QUEADA TER..RORIST !!!

WE are behind you SIr .

GOD bless you ...GOD bless the United States of America!!” !

[drumsgirl]

02:07 PM on 02/16/2010

Barry took more lobbying moola than anyone else......

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.php?cycle=2008&ind=F

[clevelandchick]

02:10 PM on 02/16/2010

Now the GOP is lining up to do the same:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703575004575043612216461790.html

Sweetie....welcome to quid pro quo politics and SCOTUS just made sure it's going to get worse.

If you're looking for the Republican Party to save the day....you're going to be very disappointed.

[dianhow]

02:13 PM on 02/16/2010

NOT as president girl

[dianhow]

02:11 PM on 02/16/2010

funky Great so tell Obama not us
202 456 1111
www.whitehouse.gov contact

[funkyirishdem]

02:28 PM on 02/16/2010

he knows
but thx

[101CheshireCat]

02:01 PM on 02/16/2010

New main folks!

[funkyirishdem]

02:00 PM on 02/16/2010

top O' the evenin' all ...
bringing' in the FUNK..!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVL3b1wKZQU

[zoloft]

01:58 PM on 02/16/2010

clevelandchick I'm a Fan of clevelandchick I'm a fan of this user 196 fans permalink
Um...maybe you shouldn't be putting your 9 year old daughter's picture on the internet.

-------

yeah, silly me. I didn't know how many foul hags I'd run into.

[101CheshireCat]

01:59 PM on 02/16/2010

If you haven't found out already any or all personal info becomes weaponry against you here.

Be careful.

[zoloft]

02:01 PM on 02/16/2010

Thanks, I found out the hard way.

Now everyone is just shocked when I won't place nice with the piece of chit who attacked my baby girl.

[stunsitfel]

02:02 PM on 02/16/2010

That's why I use a 50 yr old rooster.

[clevelandchick]

02:02 PM on 02/16/2010

I would never put a picture of a loved on the internet if I wanted their privacy protected. All politics aside, it isn't a smart thing to do.

[101CheshireCat]

02:05 PM on 02/16/2010

If you are a Lib here it is safe. If you are a conservative, not so much.

[coolaid8]

08:12 PM on 02/16/2010

What an ugly car. It looks republican.

[NoPulse]

01:57 PM on 02/16/2010

Lets send the banks a note in their next credit card statement

Due to graft and greed we are raising fees some ungodly amount
Be sure to write it in very small fine print
There will be a slight fee for the US saving the banking industry.

[magibrotherhood]

01:57 PM on 02/16/2010

The peeps in Athens aren`t real happy with JPMorgan....."b.omb goes off in JPMorgan offices, Athens", today.

[poco767c]

02:03 PM on 02/16/2010

sad, that is no way to prove a point.

[magibrotherhood]

02:05 PM on 02/16/2010

you are soooo right .......they h.it the wrong offices !

[captkirkatx]

01:56 PM on 02/16/2010

Uh Ohh!
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE61F2EI.htm
JP Morgan offices in Athens Bombed!

[evgolightly]

01:57 PM on 02/16/2010

They have b@lls there.

[clevelandchick]

01:58 PM on 02/16/2010

In other news, Blankfein just s**t his pants.