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TOYOTA GOES TO WASHINGTON<\/b>: Facing congressional hearings regarding their recent recalls, Toyota<\/a> has turned to emergency K Street expertise, hiring new lobby firms in hopes of increasing influence on Capitol Hill. The company has also recruited lower-level employees to contact their representatives. Even before this surge in lobbying efforts, Toyota was ahead of the pack, spending almost $5.4 million in 2009. According to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis<\/a>, many of Toyota’s lobbyists are individuals who formerly held a position in the federal government. Toyota’s recent mobilization of forces brings attention to Congress’s investigations, an examination of which reveals a potential lack of neutrality both in support of and in opposition to Toyota’s future. An article in the Washington Post<\/i><\/a> explains that 40 percent of members investigating Toyota have received money from them, several have personal financial investments<\/a> in the company and Toyota has a history of backing charities with connections to legislators. (The New York Times<\/i> has more in this story<\/a>, which prominently features the Center for Responsive Politics.) Furthermore, some lawmakers involved in the hearings represent districts where automakers provide a critical number of jobs. One the other hand, the federal government has a significant financial stake in some of Toyota’s competitors, namely General Motors<\/a> and Chrysler<\/a>.<\/p>\nOBAMA ON EDUCATION<\/b>: In an attempt to revamp public education in![\"Reid.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/news\/assets_c\/2009\/11\/Reid-thumb-110x165-401.jpg\")
<\/a>CASINOS GAMBLE ON REID<\/b>: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid<\/a> (D-Nev.) may
\nbe having some difficulties in Washington, but there is one group that
\nis confident in his abilities: the casinos\/gambling industry<\/a>. According to the
\nReno Gazette Journal<\/i><\/a>, Nevada’s gaming giants are choosing to give their
\nmoney to Reid with the expectation that he will be re-elected in
\nNovember. The article reports that 15 percent of jobs in Nevada are
\nprovided by the gaming industry; in today’s turbulent economic climate,
\na politician wants to foster ties with businesses that can provide
\njobs. Reid pursued that job-creation image when he brought President
\nBarack Obama<\/a> to Las Vegas to celebrate a massive casino-resort
\nconstruction project. Reid also benefits from the support of the CEO of MGM
\nMirage<\/a>, a company that owns many casino-resorts and has a strong
\npresence in the industry. From 2005 through 2010, the company and its
\nemployees were among the top donors<\/a> to Reid’s campaign. This mutually beneficial
\nrelationship has a plethora of motives and implications, but it cannot
\nguarantee the success of either Reid or the gaming industry overall; some companies have yet to put their money behind one
\nof the several Republican candidates.<\/p>\n
\nAmerica, Obama<\/a> has proposed a plan for raising and
\nunifying educational standards across the country. The New York Times<\/i> reports<\/a> that his announcement of the new “college- and
\ncareer-ready” standards in reading and math is part of a larger
\noverhaul of the former administration’s controversial “No Child Left
\nBehind” legislation of 2002. The administration has expressed the
\nbelief that the language of current education requirements is too
\nvague. This, in turn, they say, allows schools to set lower standards for their
\nstudents in order to pass tests that allow them to receive federal
\nmoney. Obama hopes to make changes that will increase the quality of
\nschooling through national uniformity in education, which, he argues, will lead to
\nstudents who are better prepared for college or a career upon graduation.
\nDespite the fact that current laws allow states to set their own
\nstandards, collaboration initiated by state governors has resulted in a
\nproject designed to pursue cross-state educational uniformity.
\nCurrently, 48 states are involved in the endeavor. Obama made the
\nannouncement that he is taking up the cause at the National Governor’s
\nAssociation annual Washington, D.C., meeting.<\/p>\n