After spending some time reading the entire proposal, Lynch looked at Langdon. "Do you think it has a chance of passing?"
Langdon sat in a relaxed manner. In fact, only after reaching this position did one realize how happy it was to be a senator.
He was not responsible for any vote. Hundreds of votes were cast. How could he be sure that his vote was the key?
If he could not prove it, then no matter what he chose or voted for, he would not be held responsible.
The money that should be earned would not be reduced, and the responsibility that should be borne would not be increased.
If he took the initiative to go to the local government, or held important positions as a committee member, he could be said to have a lot of power. At least for committee members like the Budget Committee and the Appropriations Committee, every vote in their hands was worth a lot of money!
Not only were the votes in their hands valuable, but they also had a lot of power in the local government.
Just like when he went to the local government to investigate pollution as a member of the Environment Committee, everyone from businesses to City Hall revolved around him.
One word, one attitude, and local businesses would face the fate of suspension of production and investigation.
When the local government could not collect taxes, people would lose their jobs, and the whole society would fall into chaos.
To avoid such a thing, Senator Langdon had to be "taken care of". At least, he had to make sure that Langdon could not find fault with him.
Therefore, the job of a senator was to get paid legally, have a little power, have a considerable status, and not be held responsible for their own work.
Just like now, when Lynch asked him if the proposal had a chance of passing.
If Langdon had been the mayor, he would have answered very carefully, but now he was a senator. He nodded casually.
The reason why he nodded was not that he had read the proposal, nor that he knew much about the things in the proposal. It was just that...
"You know, the Duncan family's lobbying group is the most famous in Boston. Congress can hardly stop them!"
In Federation politics, if you had not heard of the Duncan family's lobbying group, you were definitely a small fry.
They had the most professional team of lawyers to deal with all kinds of emergencies, and then a group of "former senators," "former governors," "former vice presidents," and so on, who used to be in high positions in the Federation, personally came forward to lobby for them.
When these people came forward, almost no one could stop them.
Therefore, from the very beginning, Langdon had never considered whether the proposal would pass. All he thought about was whether he should be a little more reserved.
After all, he had just become a member of parliament, and he was not as thick-skinned as those old members of parliament. He really did think that this sacred job was as simple as "doing things for money".
He still wanted to save some face. Sometimes, he had to face the fact that he had long lost his conscience.
"That's right … The Duncan family."
Lynch looked at the high-end carpet under his feet and fell into deep thought. Some people used to describe the upper echelons of the Federation. They were five percent of the Federation's wealth.
When this sentence first came out, it was indeed very shocking. People even organized large-scale demonstrations and general strikes to fight against the control of the capitalists and politicians in the country.
But it was of no use. The Workers' Union, with their mouths full of oil, finally suppressed the matter.
In their words, it was not the first day that rich people became so rich. What was the difference between before and after the report was published?
Not at all. In addition, the workers were not a monolithic group. If the factory slightly increased their benefits or gave them an extra yuan in salary, the workers would immediately return to the assembly line and work honestly. This storm soon ended.
Since then, no matter how rich the media exposed a capitalist, it was difficult to evoke a common emotional resonance. Anyway, they had always been rich and had always been like this.
How much money a rich man had, how luxurious a life he lived, how much joy he enjoyed, was not news.
Only when a rich man became a pauper was news, and only then would it arouse intense curiosity.
But there was actually a more nuanced problem in this.
The five percent that people talked about was actually a very large number. It was at least a million people.
Among these millions of people who controlled 95 percent of the country's wealth, there was another zero point five percent who controlled more than ten percent of the country's wealth.
There were about a thousand members of the Duncan family who were recognized by them, and they controlled about ten percent of the Federation's wealth. This was real wealth that rivaled a country's. It was truly shocking.
So when the Duncan family decided to push the proposal through Congress, no one thought about stopping it.
Because no one, including Mr. President, could stop it.
Put your hope on the loyalty of the members of Congress to the country?
You might as well find a girl who has just come out and traded her dignity for money. Maybe she will come to her senses and go home to find a proper job.
But the members of Congress, don't even think about how good they can be.
The members of Congress only talked about who gave more and who gave less. As for the rest, they did not care at all.
Senator Langdon looked at Lynch, and the light in his eyes flickered slightly. "Do you have anything else to do tonight?"
Lynch shook his head. "You have something to do?"
Senator Langdon laughed. "Nothing much. Why don't we have dinner together tonight? My wife is not at home..." He explained a little.
His wife was not used to the pace of life in Bu Paine. Everyone seemed to be chasing something. Mrs. Langdon, who was used to the slow pace of rural life in Sabine, found it difficult to adapt to life in the city.
So Senator Langdon bought a small farm on the outskirts of Bu Paine. His wife and daughter lived there.
Since he became a member of Congress, his daughter's family had quit their original jobs to help Senator Langdon with some of the "chores" in his life.
Most of the time, Senator Langdon lived alone in the city. He would only go to the farm on the weekends or come over with them.
This kind of lifestyle was very common among members of Congress. What people needed was for them to maintain family relationships and harmony among family members. People did not want to see these people together every day, and it was impossible for them to see these people sticking together every day.
People, no matter their social status, were ultimately creatures who followed the surface.
Lynch nodded. "I don't have anything to do tonight. That's fine."
"Can I get two more people to come?"
"They are my new friends. You know, this place is very strange to me. If I can make some friends, they can help me integrate into the life here better and faster." Langdon's tone was full of discussion. "You know, I've just met them.
Lynch moved slightly. "No problem!"
At 7: 10 p.m., the chef from the hotel had already prepared a sumptuous dinner.
For many ordinary people, the only way to enjoy authentic restaurant cuisine was to go to a restaurant. However, for the rich and powerful, with just a phone call, the restaurant's chef would bring all the fresh ingredients to their home and prepare a sumptuous meal for them.
Just a phone call!
The chef did not leave immediately after the meal was prepared. Perhaps the guests who came later would have some requests, and he could help to add some food or something.
It was an honor for the chef and the restaurant to serve a member of Congress.
At around 7: 15 p.m., Senator Langdon's "friends" finally arrived.
To the people of the Federation, seven o 'clock was almost the time to finish their meal. When it came to the working hours of the Federation, they would at least get off work at six o' clock in the afternoon. Many factories were set at seven o 'clock.
The Federation government's afternoon working hours were also set at 6: 00 p.m., no earlier.
Two years ago, it was set at 6: 20 p.m. Later, they felt that the twenty minutes were meaningless, so they reduced it to 6: 00 p.m.
For this reason, the Federation government held more than a dozen hearings. After confirming that getting off work early was not a waste of taxpayers' money, the people did not protest or go on strike.
For the people of the Federation, 7: 00 p.m. dinner was the most normal time. It was not late at all. Some people even had a habit of eating around 8: 00 p.m.
Both senators brought gifts. Interestingly, one of them brought a bottle of wine, and the other brought a small box of Solid Color.
"Langdon … and Mr. Lynch!"
The two councilors looked very cultured. They looked to be in their fifties and wore very decent clothes.
Every one of them behaved like a true gentleman. After they took off their clothes, they didn't forget to thank the maid.
"I heard from Langdon that you were here, so I couldn't wait to come!"
Senator A's slightly awkward flattery was actually not that difficult to understand.
In this capital-oriented country, the capitalists were the real masters of the country. Lynch, a representative of the new generation of capitalists with both strength and potential, was also attending this small gathering today. How could they let go of this opportunity?
Even if it was just a conversation with Lin Qi and an exchange of business cards, there was no telling what he would need Lin Qi's help in the future.
Senator B also smiled and joined in the fun. "We'll have new things to talk about tomorrow …"
This was a person who knew how to flatter without batting an eyelid.
The four of them sat at the table. The two senators invited by Langdon were very satisfied with everything here, mainly because Lynch was here.
Lynch also showed considerable goodwill. As soon as he arrived, he chatted amiably with the two senators. Langdon, on the other hand, seemed to be left out.
However, everyone knew that Langdon was not left out because he played a very important role. He was the bridge between Lynch and Congress.
Until there was someone who could replace him and gain Lynch's trust, his status would not be shaken.
Not everyone in the House of Representatives had everything going according to their wishes. There would always be people on the fringe, and what Lynch lacked the most now was influence in the House of Representatives.
Other than Langdon, he did not have any close friends in Congress.
Those few in the military committee were limited to a one-time cooperation. Most of the time, it was still the military doing the work.
This time, Mr. Geronimo's push for the proposal gave Lynch a lot of inspiration. He had to start building his influence in Congress!