Bribery, Inc.

 

Daily Finance has an article on the from 1989-2010, which collectively gave over $260 million to thwart regulation and get lucrative government contracts and tax breaks, while at the same time decrying government intervention in the economy and touting the free market.

 

The list is a Who's Who of the usual suspects, ranging from defense contractors and Wall Street banks to cable and tobacco companies. The only surprises were that United Parcel Service (UPS) was in the top five, and that AT&T was by far the biggest contributor. Looks like Ma Bell never really went away ...