Bailout Banks Still Lobbying

It's not surprising, but it's still unsettling: According to The New York Times, at least seven bailed-out banks and several automakers still have lobbyists on their payrolls, begging Congress and the Treasury for more, more, more. In the fourth quarter, Citigroup spent $1.77 million on lobbying, straight from coffers lined with $45 billion in bailout cash. AIG, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and GM also blew significant wads on "government relations" firms. Senators Diane Feinstein and Olympia Snowe are pushing legislation to stop the circular and patently corrupt monetary cycle that links government-funded corporations to the government officials in charge of monitoring them.