Congress, Inc.

How would you like to invest $1 and walk away with $1,000 in profits?

That's what the pharmaceutical industry did with Congress. They spent $132 million lobbying for legislation that gave them $135 billion in extra profits.

That's a pretty common return. Now think about the fact that special interests have spent $12 billion on lobbying since 1998 -- and the total runs into the trillions.

These are in the forms of tax breaks, decreased consumer safety, and jobs. Things you get the bill for -- directly or indirectly.

This helps explain record amounts of pork in the energy and transportation bills -- whole sections written by lobbyists for the industries the bills would affect. (CNN)