Many years ago, I got to see an Exxon "Legislative Affairs Coordinator" speak to a group of small landowners about how they could make their own lobbying efforts more effective.<p>In less than 10min this lady had the crowd ready to burn her at the stake.<p>She told them things like "your voice doesn't matter," urged them to donate all the money they could to Exxon's lobbying efforts (with unspecified goals), on the basis that at least it would get <i>something</i> done, even if it wasn't what they wanted. "Donate to our people, and our people will take care of you."<p>Then, she told them that actual grass-roots organizations like theirs were socially dangerous, because they wouldn't stick to their original mission but inevitably became cults, essentially. Something like "the best thing this organization can do, today, is vote to dissolve immediately"<p>All this was in exchange for a several thousand dollar speaking fee, which was the largest expense behind the venue for the event.