American Businesses - Business And Politics

Because large companies form the basis of the economy, they have strong ties to the government and donate millions of dollars to political campaigns to ensure the passage of pro-business legislation. Likewise, lawmakers, eager to have companies locate facilities in their constituencies to boost local economies, tend to support policies that favor business interests, sometimes to the detriment of other programs. Members of Congress may be more inclined to pass pro-business laws if their region has benefited from a large corporation's presence, or if they or their party has received campaign contributions from such a company. This raises concerns that big businesses may be able to convince the government to favor

TABLE 5.7

Antitrust investigations by the Department of Justice, 1994–2003
Total investigations initiated, by primary type of conduct*	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
*Reflects the primary type of conduct under investigation at the outset. Does not include business reviews or premerger notifications, but includes investigations initiated as a result of premerger notifications.
SOURCE: "Antitrust Division Workload Statistics FY 1994–2003," in Antitrust Division Workload Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/12848.htm (accessed January 4, 2005)
Sherman §1—Restraint of trade	189	135	128	95	109	73	85	84	94	133
Sherman §2—Monopoly	31	25	19	15	11	6	10	10	13	10
Clayton §7—Mergers	130	161	284	338	285	288	221	179	129	128
Others	12	4	5	6	3	6	11	9	7	11

their interests at the expense of the interests of other businesses, or even the population as a whole.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics—an independent, nonpartisan research group that tracks campaign contributions and their effect on U.S. elections—the ten industries (including large and small businesses and their employees) that contributed the most money to the political campaigns of 2003–2004 were lawyers and law firms, with a total of $84,988,302 in campaign contributions; retirement organizations, with $49,640,971 in contributions; real estate, contributing $33,499,486; health professionals, with $32,841,938 in contributions; securities and investments, with $28,752,881; insurance, contributing $19,424,851; lobbyists, with $16,924,355; miscellaneous business, with $16,057,986 in contributions; joint committees, with $15,935,954; and leadership PACs (political action committees), with contributions amounting to $15,604,867 ("Top Industries Giving to Congress, 2004 Cycle," http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/mems.asp?party=A&cycle=2004). Other major contributors were commercial banks ($15,508,862); television, movies, and music ($13,690,029); pharmaceuticals and health products ($10,365,363); oil and gas ($9,773,729); and automotive ($8,619,584).