QUOTE(Emperor @ Mon 12th December 2011, 3:59pm)
Professional lobbyists are a waste of money. They're just in it for the paycheck. Better to have Jimmy Wales and some Wikipedians go to Washington, and present their case with all sincerity. They can learn what they need along the way, using the internet if need be.
It doesn't work that way. Scheduling alone and knowing where and when to get to is quite a lot to learn. Then you have to learn the key people who can get different language changed, the staff members to get items to someone's attention, etc.
A good equivalent is saying that if you are in a court that you can pick up how to defend yourself. Sure, you could. But you wont know about various precedence, have the research, etc. These are professionals that assist you in getting all of the stuff you need because there are a lot of people and a lot of agencies.
This post has been edited by Ottava: