The U.S. Constitution states in black and white that the sole source of power is the American people.

"We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

"We, the people of the United States ..."

In reality, our country is not governed by the people. Government by the people in the United States has long been a sweet illusion and nothing more. Both the president and especially congress base the majority of their decisions not on the will of the people, but on that of the self-baptized Fifth Estate, which has recently appeared on the scene. This Estate is an influential force consisting of various lobbying organizations upon which the "servants of the people" indirectly – and more frequently directly – depend. As they say: He who pays the piper calls the tune. This phrase, although rather hackneyed, represents the current condition of the American political system quite accurately.

Never before in the history of the United States have lobbying organizations amassed as much power as they have under the current Republican administration. In the 1990s, lobbyists had to achieve their goals by overcoming all kinds of obstacles; however, in the past six years, these obstacles have for all intent and purposes, ceased to be relevant. The concentration of executive and legislative power in the hands of one party that is sympathetic to the interest of lobbyists' clients from the corporate world has eliminated the obstacles. I do not wish to say that the opposition, represented by the Democratic Party, has never used the services of lobbyists; however, it was specifically Republicans who really started exploiting these connections.

This assertion rests on information made public after Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to corruption. This lobbyist – a friend of Tom DeLay, the former Republican Majority Leader of the House – shared many interesting tidbits with investigators, like information about a plan whose authorship was specifically credited to DeLay. This plan concerned the need to pressure corporations and employers’ associations into hiring lobbyists with connections to Republicans to advocate for their own interests. DeLay’s intention was to set up a system of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours,” strengthened by mutual interests.

Many analysts considered Abramoff’s confessions to be like a time bomb placed under Congress. All of a sudden, talk on Capitol Hill turned to the need to carry out fundamental reforms to limit the influence of lobbyists. Midterm elections are just around the corner; however, we have yet to see any reforms. And I don’t think we ever will see them. The best case scenario would be to see a mockery of them.

It’s no wonder that many of us have a poor understanding of what a powerful machine the lobbying industry has become in recent years. It is a multibillion dollar industry that employs many diligent former legislators, as well as their former aides.

Lobbying organizations include not only specialized firms, but also various business associations, unions and NGOs.

In 1996, there were 10,800 lobbyists officially registered in Washington. Today, as U.S. News and World Report points out, there are now more than 33,000 – 61 for each congressman or senator! In 1998, lobbyists spent $1.4 billion working with legislators; last year they spent $2,4 billion. A significant portion of these funds went towards presents, tickets to sports events, concerts and meals. Lobbyists spent almost $21 million on travel expenses for 640 current and former congressmen and senators.

Clearly, an enormous amount of money is spent, but the return is astronomical. Experts at the midsized lobbying firm Carmen Group Inc. calculated that for every $1 million their clients spent on lobbying services, they received in return government contracts, and tax and other benefits totaling $100 million.

According to the Congressional Research Center, earmarks – subsidies for special projects included in federal appropriations bills usually at the prodding of lobbyists (these bills are pretty much passed without debate) – tripled from 4,155 in 1994 to 15,887 in 2005. Based on current law, earmarks are not considered corruption only if their sponsors in Congress do not receive gifts in return for their assistance.

Getting favorable contracts for clients does not require any great effort on the part of lobbyists. They fill out several standard forms, add a short explanation of their request and find a lawmaker who will agree to support it.

In spite of the scandals, more and more people want to go into lobbying. As recently as 20 years ago, legislators and their aides did not aspire to become lobbyists because they did not see any serious future in the profession. The situation is completely different today.

According to the organization Public Citizens, approximately half of retired American legislators have found work at lobbying firms. They earn an average of $300,000 a year, which is almost twice as much as what they made in Congress, where annual salaries run $165,200. Bill Paxon and his wife Susan Molinari, two well-known former Republican congressmen, are examples of those who have changed their line of business. Paxon is a senior adviser at the lobbying firm Akin Gump Strauss and his spouse heads the Washington Group.

The bond between working legislators and lobbyists is also associated with campaign financing. As experts from the Campaign Finance Institute note in a report, a significant amount of funds coming into the official fund of members of the House of Representatives is collected using lobbying firms. They are the ones that arrange most of the fundraising events attended by clients whose interests they represent, friends and partners of these clients, and friends and acquaintances of the lobbyists themselves. Without lobbyists – The Fifth Estate – our “servants of the people” would have a hard time being reelected to Congress. In 1990, a contender for a spot in Congress had to spend on average $282,000, while in 2004 that figure reached $1.4 million. Where are our modestly paid politicians to find such money? Lobbyists come to their rescue. In 1990, they collected $319 million, and in 2004 this figure climbed to $1.7 billion.

“It’s not for pleasure that we dine out with many of these people,” Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) honestly admits. “What can you do? We need their support.”

Since January of this year, when Congress and the mass media have been debating lobbying reform, I have become familiar with many interesting notions on this topic. However, I am 100 percent sure that whatever is officially proposed, the mountain will bring forth a mouse. Will congressmen and senators really use their own hands to slaughter the goose that lays the golden egg? Then who will fund their campaigns? Who will provide them with a warm, high-paid gig once they have left government service?

No one is going to rewrite the Constitution. However, it should be clear to any sensible person in our country that the stated government by the people (“We the people of the United States...”) is a pretense. Real power in the country lies not with the first estate, or the second, or even the third, but with the fifth.

“We, the lobbyists of the United States....”