Good government groups have long complained about what they say is a huge gap in lobbying disclosure rules when it comes to grassroots lobbying. The law doesn't require grassroots lobbying to be disclosed and a recent AP report highlights where that lack of disclosure becomes a problem for taxpayers. The news organization reported that Freddie Mac hired DCI Group back in 2005 to help kill legislation that would have increased oversight of Freddie and Fannie Mae. The story says DCI Group, a well-known GOP-leaning grassroots firm, was paid several million dollars to target Senate Republicans and sway them not to vote for the legislation. The effort was successful in that the Senate, which was controlled by the GOP at the time, never took up the bill. Perhaps if that lobbying had been disclosed, some of those Republican senators might have thought twice about opposing the bill.

-- Bara Vaida