Roberta Baskin Quotations

It raises the specter of a conflict of interest. It's an ethical question.

If you want to be serious about it, there has to be some enforcement mechanism.

Lobbying is like the fourth branch of government. It's a very powerful part of our government and our democracy.

States, local governments, even school boards spend millions of taxpayer dollars competing to become favorites of the federal decision-makers. The way this game is played, no one can afford not to play.

A scandal like this can have huge repercussions. This could lead to a new day on K Street.

Their interest is waning because the public's interest is waning.

I think most of the American people already expected their representatives to pay their own way.

Earmarks usually are slipped into appropriation bills without a vote, without debate and without notice. That's why a seat on the Appropriations Committee is so coveted.

It's like the sun coming up on K Street right now. There is the possibility and hope of there being a lot more scrutiny and accountability.

There's a feeding frenzy for transparency and disclosure on Capitol Hill, and that's not a good way to start. You can't plead national security. The public has a right to know.