>"There is a need for such lobbying, but it should be led by individuals as citizens"

Agreed. Unfortunately, getting people to take uniform political action on anything is difficult, whereas companies can have a political mandate (and the money to support it).

P.S. If anyone wants to to learn a little bit about the lobbying industry, check out Turkmeniscam by Ken Silverstein. It's a short read, but eye-opening.

http://www.amazon.com/Turkmeniscam-Washington-Lobbyists-Stal...