What Government ownership means...

GM spent $2.72M in 2Q to lobby US government - Yahoo! Finance: "DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors Co. spent $2.72 million in the second quarter lobbying the federal government on energy and defense spending, safety regulations and research funding for autos that run on alternative fuels, according to a disclosure report.

That's slightly less than the $2.76 million the automaker spent a year earlier but more than the double the $1.36 million it spent in the first quarter this year.

GM, now 60.8 percent owned by the U.S. government, also lobbied on driver distraction, event data recorders, compliance with recalls and safety regulations, health care reform, electric vehicle infrastructure, pensions, climate change, tariff and trade bills and highway funding, according to a report it filed July 20 covering April through June.

GM lobbied Congress, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the International Trade Commission and the Departments of Defense, Energy and State, among others, according to the report it filed with the House clerk's office."