"K" Street Sludge

"Where is the best place to work these days to get rich? The oil fields? Nope - 'K' Street in Washington, DC..."

Some might wonder what I know of "K" Street. Not much, except I have been there many times. And when I say many, I mean many. When I would go to DC on business (many times) or for military duty (many times), some of the better restaurants and bars were on or around "K" Street in downtown DC. And today, "K" Street is where many of the lobbyists live. And probably not by coincidence, it is also a hotbed for "street walkers" (hookers).

Since I have retired, I have developed a visceral hatred for "K" Street. For what it represents. For the filth it has put into our government. And for the revolving door between Capital Hill and lobbyists. It is the source of money and power in our nation's capital. And the thin line between government and lobbyists keeps getting thinner all the time.

For example, someone might run for a two year stint in the House and then get elected. Spend four two year terms learning the turf and making connections. Maybe the spouse of the Congressman (or woman) ends up working for a lobbying firm in those eight years. Then when the Congressman (or woman) finishes eight years in the House, he or she leaves government to work as a lobbyist on "K" Street. After maybe five years or so, that person runs for an open Senate seat and is elected due to name recognition. And that person is probably a whole lot richer than when running for the House the first time around. 

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, 2012 was a pivotal year for Congress. For the first time, half of all members of Congress had a net worth of over $1,000,000. In 2014, that number went up to over half. The irony of course, is that many of these self made millionaires were not such prior to going to Congress. How do they do it? By using what some call the "'K' Street shuffle".

Why should we care about "K" Street? First off, many of our bills are "farmed out" to lobbyists on "K" Street for initial construction. Yes, our bills which eventually become law, are initially put together by staffers and lobbyists. Bills then become a committee project and develop into something long and convoluted. You might then end up with a 2,000 page health care bill that nobody in Congress has read. In fact, you might even get the Speaker of the House telling members, "We need to pass this bill so we know what is in it."

No, I don't have any time for "K" Street. The people who work there have made a mockery of our system. Let the hookers have the place. As far as the lobbyists go that work there, there is an old saying. "With dogs you get fleas." And on "K" Street, there are plenty of dogs, plenty of fleas, and plenty of hookers.