Tomorrow is Independence Day, the time to commemorate the United States's successful revolt against Britain, establishing our own self-reliant government. Well, sort of. While our politicians are no longer answering to the redcoats, they've become awfully beholden to the greenbacks. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, 36 current members of Congress have collected at least 20 percent of their contributions from a single industry, setting up a scheme of dependence and perhaps the expectation of a tit-for-tat.... (Continue)

Considering how Americans celebrate their independence and patriotism with fireworks and sparklers, it's no surprise that our country's politicians often buy fireworks for events on the campaign trail. This is hardly a one-way street, however, as the fireworks industry invests in lawmakers through campaign contributions and lobbying efforts, as well. ... (Continue)

When Anheuser-Busch rejected an unsolicited $46 billion buyout offer from InBev, a Belgian brewing company, reservations about the sale of an American icon to a foreign company quickly began brewing on Capitol Hill. While Anheuser-Busch put its lobbyists to work to keep its company locally owned, InBev’s chief executive, Carlos Brito, also came to Washington to meet with lawmakers, hoping to soften some of their staunch opposition to the takeover. ... (Continue)

The Sunshine State is planning to buy out the U.S. Sugar Corp. for the hefty price of $1.75 billion, and give the 187,000 acres of land currently inhabited by sugar cane back to the alligators and pelicans of the Florida Everglades. But this isn’t the first time that money has passed between government and the sugar industry. ... (Continue)

It appears that being the candidate of change doesn't necessarily mean appealing to a new set of donors. New York Times columnist David Brooks used extensive data from the Center for Responsive Politics today to argue that Barack Obama's fundraising base looks a whole lot like those of Democrats past and present.... (Continue)

The Supreme Court's ruling last week to lift the ban of handguns in Washington, D.C., households is the first ever to determine that the Second Amendment guarantees individuals the right to own guns. While the judicial branch took more than 200 years to rule on the issue, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has spent years developing a relationship with the legislative branch.... (Continue)

Thanks to a request from Politico, all senators but one have revealed details about their home mortgages--information they aren't required to report but that has been sought after in light of recent revelations that Countrywide Financial cut Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) a break on their loans. ... (Continue)

Just when the rest of us are taking off for summer vacations, the Federal Election Commission is getting back to work. The five new commissioners confirmed by the Senate this week now constitute a full quorum.... (Continue)

Millionaires running for Congress will no longer have to worry if spending their own money in a race will give their opponents an advantage. Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the so--called Millionaires' Amendment in federal election law is unconstitutional. ... (Continue)

The marriage vow "for richer or poorer" is more than a promise between two people when one of those people is a member of Congress. When lawmakers and their spouses utter those words, they're agreeing to reveal to the world the scope of how rich or poor they may be.... (Continue)