this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2026
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This isn't some uniquely American thing.
Corporate lobbying is a thing across the world at various levels. Business leaders are friends with political leaders in just about any country you look at and that close relationship gives much more wiggle room for oversight. Meals and deals are integral to the process and that's where corporate money can be spent without explicitly going to the politician. Gifts and services are a nightmare for democracy.
it isn't a unique American problem, but the way the US legalized and formalized the bribing process is something so dystopian it would only fit in a comedy. lobbying is an industry in itself.