"So many of the talking heads seem to miss the point: the current scandal is less about lobbyists than it is about members of Congress and other people in high government positions. If members all refused to take bribes, there would be no bribery."

—Lynn Woolley

-AND THIS RELATED QUOTE-

"Amid the Jack Abramoff scandal, everyone in Congress wants to restrict the freedom of other Americans, especially lobbyists. But how hard is that, and what difference would it make anyway? The real test of 'reform' will be if the Members are willing to discipline themselves. That's a good standard for measuring the race for House GOP Majority Leader, too. When Republicans took control of the purse strings in 1995, the federal budget was $1.5 trillion. It is now $2.55 trillion a year—or $5 million a minute—and the latest Treasury data reveal that in Fiscal 2005 federal outlays grew by another $179 billion, an 8% increase and more than twice the rate of inflation. It's naïve to believe that influence peddlers in Washington won't flourish in an environment where such fountains of money never run dry. If Republicans really want to end the era of K Street Conservatism, they'll attack the system of spending that lies at its roots."

—The Wall Street Journal