Sierra Club Forestry and Air Pollution Term Paper

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gather some information that will help identify the main characteristics of lobby groups. It is certain, for one thing, that they represent the interests of a certain category of voters, a certain part of the population and that they work to promote certain legislative acts in favor of the respective category they represent. This is done by presenting the appropriate information to the legislative body members and by attempting, by logical arguments, to persuade the necessity of adopting such a law. Unfortunately, the original way of action of lobby groups, as presented previously, was modified so as to include significant financial contributions to the political campaigns of the legislators, which may have also brought that the name of pressure groups.

As such, on one hand, lobbyists work by presenting information that they think will influence positively the voting procedure. On the other hand, "lobbyists work through relationships"

and, in order to build these relationships, they invest gifts or financial stimulants for the legislators.

So, we can assert that the most important resource that lobbyists use, the most important asset of their activity is personal relationship. Otherwise, persuasive arguments can also be included as an efficient resource they have. Further more, we shouldn't leave out the financial aspect: it is most certain that, in many cases, votes are indeed bought for a cause.
In the end, one final resource used is the "tit-for-tat" resource: in exchange for a law the legislator helps vote, he will receive another influential compensation.

2. Special interest groups shape the public's values by promoting the idea they believe in and by "educating" the public. This is done in several ways. First of all, a complete research on the respective subjects, on the cause at hand and on the consequences of efficient lobby, followed by an analysis of the exact consequences of the law being adopted can be presented.

Second of all, advertising represents here as well an efficient way of promoting one's idea and one's service. Given the widespread of Internet usage, a website where information is presented, together with the evolution of the issue would be most useful in reaching the category represented.

Finally, for more radical actions, lobbyists can always appeal to a demonstration. The example of the Vietnam War is significant in this sense

3. The conflict between the Sierra Club activists and the group that would like to harvest old growth trees is the perpetual conflict between preservationists….....

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