Members of Congress Aren’t Like You and Me – They’re Rich
By: Jon Walker
March 10, 2011
I often marvel at how completely the debate in Washington seems so totally disconnected from the polling data and the concerns of regular Americans in these tough times, but it is important to keep in mind members of Congress aren’t like regular Americans. For the most part they are incredibly wealthy. From Opensecrets.org:
Like their veteran counterparts, U.S. House and U.S. Senate freshmen are together a notably wealthy bunch, enjoying exponentially greater wealth than most of the Americans they represent, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal personal financial disclosure reports.
Sixty percent of Senate freshman and more than 40 percent of House freshmen are millionaires, the Center’s study finds. Roughly 1 percent of Americans at large claim the same lofty financial status.
“Even though millions of Americans continue to struggle financially, most of the nation’s newest congressional representatives are a world away from such constituents’ financial realities,” said Sheila Krumholz, the Center’s executive director.
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2011/03/10/members-of-congress-arent-like-you-and-me-theyre-rich/
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