Another record broken under the GOP: lobbyist spending

If you thought it was impressive that the Republican-controlled Congress has raised the federal debt limit five times to accomodate the largest deficit in history, consider this:

Spending on lobbying totaled more than $1.2 billion for the last six months of 2005, another record, according to a tally on the website politicalmoneyline.com.

For the year, spending topped $2.36 billion, according to the site. For the first time, during the last half of the year, spending to lobby Congress and the executive branch averaged $200 million a month.

Corporate interests might control the legislative agenda, but at least they're paying for it. I guess.