lobbyists

Congressmen, lobbyists, and car salesmen have some of the worst reputations for honesty and ethics, as do business execs, stock brokers and real estate agents. And there's a reason why: The rules of their games are stacked against good behavior.

Election season is coming, and politicians across the spectrum are already hunting for campaigns contributions. But with the vast majority of political donations coming from lobbies, corporations, and the wealthy, does it make sense for average taxpayers to contribute?

With the 2012 election season looming, the retail sector is getting vocally political for the first time. The National Retail Federation has launched "Retail Means Jobs," a year-long, $10 million advocacy campaign designed to push for retail-friendly policies in Washington.

Republicans can be friendly to solar energy -- just don't use the terms "recovery act" or "stimulus package" when lobbying them for government subsidies. That was the message from GOP political adviser Mary Matalin at the largest solar conference in the country on Thursday.

What companies have shelled out the most to America's political campaigns? Using data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, we've created a top-10 list, offering a look at the candidates they support, the issues that concern them and their lobbying habits.

Winthrop Brown, a Washington lawyer who lobbies on behalf of financial services firms, says the new regulations should get "a pretty good grade" from Wall Street -- and from Main Street. But will they prevent another economic meltdown?

The SEC hasn't found the cause of the May 6 stock market "flash crash," but it's putting in circuit breakers to prevent a recurrence. Regulators are also talking about leveling the playing field between high-frequency traders and retail investors. Don't bet on it.

Since the fall of 2008, the big banks have spent $600 million on lobbying and related political activities. More and more, influence in Washington is an essential contributor to profits.

UPDATE after the jump. A new study by the University of California indicates that high fructose corn syrup could be just as unhealthy as some nutrition experts have thought. In short, the first tests conducted on humans showed that subjects who were fed a diet high in fructose accumulated fat...

Huzzah! We have a new record. Open Secrets reports that lobbyists have dropped more money in the third quarter than during any other quarter since spending disclosures began -- $849 million to be exact. In three months. Total for the year so far: $2.5 billion. Naturally, the health care sector is...