Shelby M. Cullom Quotes

The FBI has always supported big business and big government.

Lobbynomics

Both the Democratic and Republican parties are bought and paid for by corporate America and cater to the needs of the highest bidder as opposed to the people they claim to represent. I cannot be bought.

Why, over her political career has Wall Street been a major - the major campaign contributor to Hillary Clinton? You know, maybe they're dumb and they don't know what they're going to get, but I don't think so.

Money often determines not only who gets elected, but what gets done. Which voices do lawmakers listen to, the banks or home owners, coal companies, or asthma sufferers, the CEOs or the unemployed?

I'm disappointed that Senator DeWine once again chose to go along with his party leaders and their big corporate lobbyist supporters. Ohio deserves a Senator who will be more than a rubber stamp.

You know, I think many people have the mistaken impression that Congress regulates Wall Street. In truth that's not the case. The real truth is that Wall Street regulates the Congress.

Business and politics have a wholesome and an unwholesome interface. You have to eliminate the unwholesome interface.

There’s a real fundamental need for us. You think we have a bad system now? Without us lobbyists, just see what kind of government we would have them

The railroad men did not hesitate to dominate government where they could.

Historians, studying us, will say that we allowed corporations to become the government.

Unfortunately, public officials are largely controlled by the very corporations against which they should proceed.

The mixing of politics and business not only is detrimental to politics, as is frequently observed, but even much more so to business.

Corporations write the legislation. They vote on the legislation. And they give advice on how to pass their bills.

Not all special interest groups are bad.

Three industries in particular—finance, real estate, and insurance—benefit from the system, which they achieve by lobbying heavily and systematically contributing to political campaigns in order to retain and fortify their privileges.

You cannot move a piece of [energy] legislation through Congress in the year 2013 unless the American Petroleum Institute proposes it. You cannot move legislation without their consent. They are a de facto fourth branch of government.

They are one of the most profitable industries in the world, and they’re throwing money into Washington DC. They’re buying politicians.

From campaign contributions to expensive perks paid for by special interests, wealthy donors and corporate special interests have increasingly been able to purchase influence and promote their agendas in Congress.

Politicians need money at election time and money to get the vote. Well, more than half of money in election comes from corporate interests whose interests are in polluting the Chinese environment and making products.

All of our political parties are bought and paid for by corporate America, Wall Street, and the wealthy interests. The Republican Party more so, but the Democrats take their share of the loot, too.

Pete Wilson deregulated energy as a pay out to Enron, and we blamed Gray Davis.

You read constantly that banks are lobbying regulators and elected officials as if this is inappropriate. We don't look at it that way.

Washington is designed not to solve problems. Congress is so beholden to the money that any solution in the general interest will be frustrated and subverted by the corporate interests who feel they will be damaged by progress, fair play and justice.

Enough to using Texas as a political laboratory for testing far-right ideas. Enough to using Texas as a workshop for fattening the wallets of their special interest friends and supporters. And enough of politicians listening only to each other, rather than real Texans.