Lobbying Rules

Related to the Tauzin situation I cited (where this fat cat Louisiana Republican who - as head of the FDA committee - helped force the Medicare drug bill down our throats and now is up for a $1M+ lobbying job with the drug companies' lobbying organization, Pharma), let's propose a revision to lobbying rules.

This isn't a GOP or a Democratic issue. It's an American one. Hatch's son is a lobbyist, the guy who was to take over for Gingrich but who had to quit when his many peccadilloes were brought to light by Larry Flynt is a lobbyist (to department where his brother Asa operates within Homeland Security), Tom Daschle's wife is a lobbyist... the list goes on and on.

Tauzin can walk out of Congress tomorrow and the only stipulation placed on him is that he can't lobby Congress for one year.

Let's change the rules to:

No sitting member of Congress may have any member of his/her immediate family be a lobbyist

No sitting member of Congress may leave and lobby Congress for a period of 5 years minimum (giving time for changeover in personnel)

No department or government official may leave his or her position and become a lobbyist that can lobby their former sphere of influence for a period of 4 years (minimum) (did you know that the head of Medicare just left to work for the companies who profit from the new Medicare plan, too?)