“Tim Cook recently traveled to an unfamiliar destination for an Apple Inc. chief executive officer: The U.S. Capitol,” Tim Higgins, David McLaughlin and Todd Shields report for Bloomberg. “During the trip last month, Cook posed for a photo with Senator Orrin Hatch, the Utah Republican taking over the Senate Finance Committee this year. It was one of the meetings Cook had while in town, which also included a stop at Apple’s store in the Georgetown area.”
“Apple, which has come under increasing scrutiny as the world’s most valuable company, is becoming more of a regular around Washington,” Higgins, McLaughlin and Shields report. “While co-founder Steve Jobs shunned the nation’s capital, Apple lobbied the White House, Congress and 13 departments and agencies from the Food and Drug Administration to the Federal Trade Commission in 2014 through the third quarter, according to OpenSecrets.org. In 2009, Apple lobbied only Congress and six agencies.”
“Apple’s spending in Washington remains small compared with other technology companies. Microsoft Corp., which faced an antitrust trial in the late 1990s, spent $6 million last year through the third quarter in Washington, according to OpenSecrets.org, a website that tracks spending. Google Inc. is the biggest technology spender after grappling with its own antitrust scrutiny, with $13.7 million in U.S. lobbying costs in 2014 through the end of September. In that same period, Apple spent $2.9 million,” Higgins, McLaughlin and Shields report. “Apple’s expenditures on Washington lobbying last year were on pace to top 2013’s record $3.4 million, which was already twice as much as what the company spent five years ago, according to OpenSecrets.org.”
Much more in the full article here.
$3 million in 9 months, versus $6M for MS and $14 for Google.
A nice bucket of ice water to throw in the face of idiots who claim Apple pulls strings in Washington to get what they want.
In fact, it is no secret that there are many lawmakers who are quite furious at Apple’s laughably small contributions (compared to the volume of business company does), finding it insulting. It shouldn’t be a surprise if congress proceeds to punish Apple in the upcoming bills because of their inadequate participation in American democracy…
1. Limit Congressmen and Senators to 4 terms max.
2. Pay them 4 million per term.
3. Ban them from any consulting, paid speeches and employment for 8 years after last term ends, and during terms.
4. Government gives each candidate 1 million to campaign and ban campaigning until 4 months before an election.
5. Ban all PAC’s.
6. Lobbyists can only speak in front of a full Congress or Senate, on camera.
1. 2 terms.
2. Pay them $200k. It is a service, not a career. That’s still good (enough) money.
3. Nah. Let ’em do those things.
4. That’s new. I like it. But the gov. doesn’t need to give them any.
5. Yep.
6. Or its committees. But another good idea.
I think every member of Congress should have to wear a camera, like some police officers do, and that feed should stream live to the internet.
Or…
Get rid of elections for Congressman and Senators and replace with a lottery/jury notice for one year term and make that term part time unless need arises such as national emergency or war.
Still require elections for president, but ban prohibition of other parties candidates and provide equal distribution of national funding for campaign budgets. Let’s see how well a potential president manages THAT money.
Benefits of lottery/jury notice style representation:
Have a more diverse Congress comprised from all socio-economic background across all of America.
Shorter terms, limits possibility of corruption.
No need for pensions for retired 30, 40, 50, 60 year career hack politicians.
Better yet, no need for electioneering and campaigning, which means, no TV ads, junk mail, road signs dotting the landscape and best of all, no phone calls at dinner time. This alone, is a deal maker!
Solution: Empty the Capitol, close down the White House and the Supreme Court. Then build a magnificent palace in Hawaii with acres and acres of golf courses..Install Shah Hussein I and his lovely wife, Assquatch, The First Yeti, as co-emperors. Besides a 70% flat tax on citizens, all graft and pay-offs would immediately be remitted directly to the monarchy, thus bypassing the nuisance of political parties. elections, congress, courts. the press and thinking.
Bush,Clinton,Clinton, Bush, Bush, Obama(actually Clinton in reality) and in the not too distant future I predict ……..Clinton, Clinton, Bush,Bush…….you get the idea.
You really think you have any power?
You don’t quite understand, there would be no Clinton/Bush false dichotomy..the appointment of Shah Hussein I and Assquatch would be for life. This system worked for centuries for our brothers and sisters of ancient Babylon. Citizens would no longer be referred to as citizens, they would be known as slaves or “associates.”
You might think, “that would be sooo boring, dude! What would the ‘associates’ do with their lives?” This problem would be solved with projects designed to not only worship and idolize the bi-umvirate, but they would be darned good busy work. Such projects might include “The Hanging Gardens Of Maui”, “The Colossus Of Moochelle”, “The Great Pyramid Of Mombasa” and even work on the next generation of leadership with “The Taj Malia.”
More drivel from botvinnik, the bottomless pit of wild political ranting.
Melvin, have I ever told you what an attractive man you are?
Overheard in Washington …
That’s a very impressive company you have there Mr Cook. You wouldn’t want anything err ……. “unfortunate” to happen to it would you ?
Ever considered spending millions of dollars on lobbying ?
Yes, DOJ is part of Washington extortion. How else to explain the law suit wherein Apple is sued to protect the monopolist behavior of Amazon?