Who are the paymasters?

There's a line spoken by 'Deep Throat' in "All the President's Men" that has always stayed with me. Asked for advice by Bob Woodward, he advises "Just... follow the money"

As the American political system has become more dependant upon corporate money and "gifts" from some very wealthy individuals, concerns have grown about the expectations of these donors. What do they gain from 'sponsoring' legislators and the parties? Ethics rules have been developed and refined over the years to attempt to curtail certain behaviour. There is now a huge ethics manual for the House of Representatives. It can be accessed here.

The public has a right to know who is making the donations. The Sunlight Foundation's website allows you to see who is donating to whom. Visit the website here.

I am now into the final few days of my visit to Washington DC. I shall have to get an iphone for my return to the UK! There are a number of "apps" which are available -

The Sunlight Foundation has just launched an application which gives

Live Floor Updates - Updates from the House and Senate floor as they happen.
Key Documents - Critical reports and memos as they are published online by the Congressional Budget Office, the Congressional Research Service, Office of Management and Budget, party policy committees and more!
Whip Notices - Daily and weekly notices from the House Majority and Minority Whips.
Hearing Schedules - Schedule of upcoming committee hearings from House and Senate.

C-Span has apps which allow you to listen to proceedings

and there is a Congressional Directory available called "Congress in Your Pocket"