Take a look at my comment history for the past 2 weeks if you want to see a bunch more unexplainable downvotes. I've also been repeatedly IP banned multiple times during the same period, sometimes even multiple times a day, which has never happened before. I don't spam requests to the site, and haven't changed my browsing habits a whit. I've emailed admin and they won't even acknowledge me as a human. It's pretty maddening, actually.
In general, it hasn't. Unless there are at least competing interests with similar sized bank accounts or a _very_ strong and _very_ vocal preference from voters, lobbying wins.
We've legalized bribery in America, we just call it something else.
