Apple, Google lobbying money drops during Q2
updated 01:12 pm EDT, Mon July 23, 2012
EPEAT, tracking among issues in Apple's agenda
Apple spent about $470,000 lobbying US Congresspeople during the second quarter of 2012, versus Google's $3,920,000, Fortune notes. New Congressional lobbying reports have been released, indicating that both companies spent slightly less during the quarter in their efforts to influence politicians. During the first quarter, Google spent $5,030,000, versus Apple's $500,000.
The lobbying reports indicate that Apple pressured politicians on a number of topics, ranging from "issues related to the transportation of batteries" to the Do Not Track Kids Act of 2011. Of special interest is a reference to "EPEAT," though no other details are mentioned. EPEAT is an environmental rating standard considered by the US government and other organizations when buying computers; even though Apple contributed to its creation, it recently withdrew many products from EPEAT certification, only to put them back on the list almost immediately. The company likely did so because of growing signs that many organizations, such as the City of San Francisco, would simply stop buying Macs.
Apple is known to spend an unusually small amount on lobbying compared with other major tech companies. The company does have a number of regular political interests though, such as patents, taxes, copyrights, education, and privacy controls.
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With Google spending about $16 million a year lobbying Congress, is it any surprise that members of Congress seem to have so little time for the issues that trouble small businesses and ordinary people? Is it any wonder the Senate hasn't even passed a formal budget in three years? And is there any reason why we should be surprised that the federal government is running huge deficits that'll crush our economy and burden our children with huge interest payments?
All this self-obsessed lobbying says something about the executives at Google and Apple. The hearts of corporate executives in Silicon Valley seem to be made of glass as hard as the chips in their products. You see it when they build something elsewhere in the country. They won't build anywhere (i.e. Apple in NC and in Austin) unless they're given large tax breaks. Let others pay for the roads, Not Apple. Let others fund the schools. Not Apple.
Hey, Apple's only got $100 billion in the bank. They can't really afford to pay taxes like the rest of us. They gotta have those tax breaks, locally and nationally, otherwise their kiddies won't have any shoes. Sad and sick. I'd be embarrassed to work for a company that obsessed with its bottom line it can't think of anything else. One that won't even pay local taxes other companies in their communities pay.
Most interesting of all, these cold-hearted champions of crony capitalism tilt heavily to the left and vote almost exclusively Democratic. Google giving played a major role in Obama being able to defeat Hillary in 2008. Apple has Al Gore on its board.