AFTER HOURS, LEGISLATORS DON’T KNOW THEY’RE BEING LOBBIED

“David Rubenstein's patriotic philanthropy can be seen as a way of
establishing the level of control over his wealth that [Andrew] Carnegie enjoyed.
In Caregie’s time, there was no federal income tax; charity was the primary
means the rich had of giving-back to  society, and they could, of course,
determine the size of their contributions. The super-wealthy now view taxes more

or less the way Carnegie viewed higher wages, or alms spread among the needy:
as more likely to be frittered away than if they bestowed the money themselves.
The [Federal] tax code supports this view, making charitable giving tax-deductible.

By 2013, the amount written off by all taxpayers was more than forty billion I
dollars annually. The wealthy benefit the most, because they are deducting

income that would otherwise be taxed at the highest personal rate.

[“The Library of Congress dinners that David Rubenstein sponsors]
“remain one of Rubenstein's most useful tools for strengthening his influence.
. . . .  Among the members of Congress who attended were several Democratic senators who
had figured prominently in the carried-interest debate: Chuck Schumer, Mark
Warner, and Kay Hagan, the Schumer protegee, who lost her North Carolina

seat in 2014.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

“One staff member at the library, referring to earlier events, told
me, ‘I looked around and thought, This is pretty chummy here. These
members of Congress don't even know they're being lobbied.’"

Alec MacGillis, “The Billionaires’ Loophole,” New Yorker, March 14, 2016, pp: 64-73.