May 2005
Numbers Theory
$13 billion: Amount spent since 1998 by lobbyists and special-interest groups to influence Congress, the White House and 200 federal agencies.
$3 billion: Amount spent in 2004, up a half-billion from 2003.
45: Total number of government employees who record and monitor special-interest group activity, miniscule by federal standards.
1 in 5: Number of companies lobbying the federal government that are flying under the radar by failing to file disclosure forms required by law.
14,000: Count of missing lobbying disclosure documents since 1998, including various paperwork from 49 of the top 50 lobbying firms.
$125 million: Budget line for lobbying since 1998 of Altria Group Inc., parent company of cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris USA.
$193 million: Lobbyist tab for U.S. Chamber of Commerce, more than any other entity.
65 percent: Number of Americans who would shift money in the Pentagon budget to other needs, including human services, renewable energy development and deficit reduction.
$131 billion: How much the typical American in majority would cut from Pentagon money rolls, or about one-third of its overall budget.
$24 billion: How much the typical American in majority would redirect to renewable energy, an increase of more than 1,000 percent over current federal budget line.
$81 billion: Proposed “supplemental” funding for Iraq war by Congress.
SOURCES (OUR HEROES): Center for Public Integrity; Program on International Policy Alternatives.
![[Send]](http://seattle.consciouschoice.com/sendlink/send.gif){kind=small}
Recommend this page to a friend
Top Ten pages recommended to friends:
