Word: lobbyists
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...Yale, and William and Mary. But the privately run Louisiana Lottery, which flourished after the Civil War and depended on nationwide sales, was notoriously corrupt. To stop misuse, Congress in 1895 banned interstate commerce by lottery operators. Today lotteries still draw fire on moral grounds. Declares Jack Wyman, a lobbyist for the Christian Civic League of Maine: "Government financing by gambling encourages citizens to indulge their weaknesses...
...jackpots and compete with neighboring Massachusetts, the states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are even considering combining their lotteries into a more tantalizing tristate pool. Last week lottery supporters in California gave state authorities the required petitions to put a lottery proposal to a November vote. In Florida, Lobbyist Jay Kashuk is leading a petition drive to repeal a state ban on lotteries...
There was a time when lobbyists were discreet, working their deals behind closed doors. But Robert Keith Gray is a new breed of lobbyist, preferring to enter by the front door and stay in the limelight...
...charity balls. (He once put Mrs. Thurmond on his payroll, but criticism of the potential conflict of interest caused her to resign.) Gray says he never asks for favors in return. "There was a time when booze, blonds and bribes were the persuaders," he explains. "But today's lobbyist has to be a straight shooter." Contends Staffer Frank Mankiewicz, who until last year ran National Public Radio: "He's a small-town boy, like Ronald Reagan. In a small town, you help your friends...
Gray has produced results for many clients, including the government of Turkey, which has little support in Congress. The powerful Greek lobby was determined to trim back Turkey's military aid last year, but Gray sent Lobbyist Gary Hymel, a former top aide to House Speaker Tip O'Neill, to work on House leaders. Martin Gold, former counsel to Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker, was sent by Gray to deal with Republican leaders in the Senate. Turkey ended up getting more military aid out of Congress than the year before...