Lobby, Lobby, Lobby, Get Your Influence Here

What were the largest lobbying contracts on Washington DC's power corridor, K Street, in 2004? According to The Hill, top honors go to the Asbestos Study Group, who paid $5.5 million for six months of "lobbying and substantive expertise." The Asbestos Study Group is "a group of large companies that have been defendants in asbestos lawsuits," including Halliburton and Viacom. The "Patient Safety/ Pharmaceutical Systems Group," which includes Pfizer, Wyeth, Johnson & Johnson and other drug companies, paid $1.4 million for lobbying on "general patient safety and related pharmaceutical issues." Other major lobbiers include the Business Roundtable, Microsoft, United Airlines and Hewlett Packard.