there were many troubling issues brought up in the documentary but the most shocking to me was that some of the first drafts of legislation are actually written by lobbyists.
I am curious as to why that seemed shocking? I'll admit it takes me a little off guard, and seems a bit gross, but after some thought it doesn't really seem that odd. After all, anyone can write up a referendum and then try to get signatures for it. In a way, that is legislating, similar to knocking out a rough draft to present to a Congressperson, no? Where SHOULD ideas for legislators come from?
Anyone can "lobby" their congresspeople and/or senators. If I write a letter to my senator and ask for change, have I written a first draft?
Now, I'm not naive. I understand that a lot of lobbies/PACs are funded by larger interests, and in that case money talks (that's the gross part). But at the basic level of "voice", we all have the power to hammer out a draft of what laws we'd like to see enacted, don't we?