Patting the wrists, rolling the eyes.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Adder
The urge to blame "special interests," from both sides of the aisle, is a pet peeve for me. There are people and groups on both sides of most issues. Whichever side wins, we denegrate as a "special interest."

Your dismissal of special interests appears to ignore the well-established concept that interests that are discrete, focused, and held by a few larger entities are far more likely to win out over interests that are diffuse and of minimal benefit to each entity. It's not like there's a big, strong anti-pork-barrel lobby.