Ezk: Yes but the system of lobbying in this country is broken. A better way would be for leaders in every field or industry who wants money, to present their case in front of a committee and present a professional business case (with the country's well-being in mind) why the limited funds should go to them and not someone else. The most urgent and best ideas / needs win. Simple. No back-patting, no gaming, no garbage. Lobbyists, like union bosses, have lost their way in this country. They no longer serve the primary purpose for which they were intended but rather serve their own purposes first, everything else second. There are many other ways to let the government know about your urgent project. Let's not pretend the mechanisms of lobbying are the only way.
Meantime, everyone should use this form
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Make it professional, short and to the point. When a bill goes from less than $800B to over $900B in a few weeks you know some slime-ball senators or reps stuffed a few "extra provisions" into the bill at various points.