Half of US Congressional politicians are millionaires

[Vouthon]

BBC News - Half of US Congressional politicians are millionaires

For the first time, half of the members of the US Congress are millionaires, according to a wealth analysis.

At least 268 of the 534 politicians in the Senate and House of Representatives had a net worth of $1m (£606,821) or more in 2012.

Democrats were slightly wealthier than Republicans, found the data from the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) at OpenSecrets.org.

It comes as politicians debate national jobless benefits and the minimum wage.

The median net worth for Washington politicians came in at $1m, according to data.

Democrats registered a median wealth of $1.04m while Republicans had $1m.

Senators ranked higher than members of the House in median wealth, with $2.7m versus $896,000 in the lower chamber.

The wealthiest member of Congress was Republican Congressman Darrell Issa. The Californian reported a net worth of up to $598m, earned largely through sales of a car antitheft system.

The poorest member of Congress was also a California Republican, Congressman David Valadao. He listed debts upwards of $12m, largely stemming from loans on a family dairy farm.

As Congress suffers under some of its lowest approval ratings in history, "there's been no change in our appetite to elect affluent politicians to represent our concerns in Washington", CRP director Sheila Krumholz told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

Also necessary is wealth "to run financially viable campaigns", she added.

So politics is the preserve of the rich? How is that representative democracy? Do these politicians in anyway "represent" the majority of poor-lower middle class Americans? Sounds more like a new form of financially-based PLUTOCRACY to me.

Although I must laugh that Democrats were "slightly" wealthier than Republicans. The hypocrisy!!!

 

[InformedIgnorance]

It has been that way for a very long time - since about the time that payments to mass media for advertisement became a major issue of importance in determining who people vote for. Its really only people with access to a significant amount of money that have a hope of winning (indeed it actually takes a great deal of money to simply try)


When you cut out the tea party folks I wonder what the numbers would average out to for the republicanss; at least half the tea party folks seem to be quite poor (while the other half of the tea party congress have become quite rich in the last few years by managing to con people into giving them cash.... the right seems really into that these days)

 

[Revoltingest]

What's surprising is that almost half of'm are not millionaires.

 

[Monk Of Reason]

We're obviously a pseudo plutocracy carrying on the charade as if we were a democracy of sorts. Though I agree with revoltingest that its surprising how many are NOT millionaires. Though there are no poor in congress. They get 150k a year which isn't anything to sneeze at.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

This is unsurprising for U.S. citizens. The country is a giant imperialist corporation that pathologically exploits the people of the nation, demands we work at least 3 months out of the year to fund bomb and drone strikes against innocent people around the world to steal their resources, and then conveniently forgets to funnel money back into infrastructure, adequate shelters, health care, and education.

We spend more money on the military than any other nation in the world, but we somehow can't defend our own borders. We pay politicians for their book deals and speaking engagements, but they cater to corporate lobbyists and create smoke and mirrors to the citizenry and fooling them that our votes matter. We are currently or know people who don't have paid maternity or paternity leave, have little to no vacation time, go bankrupt from skyrocketing health care costs due to stress, pharmaceutical drug reactions, and awesomely horrid food choices in tidal wave proportions.

The politicians in this country are more than happy to divide and conquer. They are nothing short of a spectacle, glitzing and glamoring and spitting and spiting each other at the podium at a sixth-grade level about issues they barely differ from each other, and fooling the public into thinking they're representing the citizens of their constituency. They know how to utilize the media to get people so jaded with them, and yet can continue to manipulate these same people to suit their agendas.

So, they're millionaires? What else is new?

 

[Vouthon]

We're obviously a pseudo plutocracy carrying on the charade as if we were a democracy of sorts. Though I agree with revoltingest that its surprising how many are NOT millionaires. Though there are no poor in congress. They get 150k a year which isn't anything to sneeze at.

Having went to the original source it actually says that the "majority" of politicians in Congress are millionaires. It therefore looks like the BBC article is being overindulgently generous in limiting it to "half".

 

[Revoltingest]

This is unsurprising for U.S. citizens. The country is a giant imperialist corporation that pathologically exploits the people of the nation, demands we work at least 3 months out of the year to fund bomb and drone strikes against innocent people around the world to steal their resources, and then conveniently forgets to funnel money back into infrastructure, adequate shelters, health care, and education.

We spend more money on the military than any other nation in the world, but we somehow can't defend our own borders. We pay politicians for their book deals and speaking engagements, but they cater to corporate lobbyists and create smoke and mirrors to the citizenry and fooling them that our votes matter. We are currently or know people who don't have unpaid maternity or paternity leave, have little to no vacation time, go bankrupt from skyrocketing health care costs due to stress, pharmaceutical drug reactions, and awesomely horrid food choices in tidal wave proportions.

The politicians in this country are more than happy to divide and conquer. They are nothing short of a spectacle, glitzing and glamoring and spitting and spiting each other at the podium at a sixth-grade level about issues they barely differ from each other, and fooling the public into thinking they're representing the citizens of their constituency. They know how to utilize the media to get people so jaded with them, and yet can continue to manipulate these same people to suit their agendas.

So, they're millionaires? What else is new?

Such cynicism from one so petite & demure!
Tis a joy to behold, but you're unfrubable for now.

 

[Sunstone]

...PLUTOCRACY...

That nails it in one ugly word.

 

[Sunstone]

This is unsurprising for U.S. citizens. The country is a giant imperialist corporation that pathologically exploits the people of the nation, demands we work at least 3 months out of the year to fund bomb and drone strikes against innocent people around the world to steal their resources, and then conveniently forgets to funnel money back into infrastructure, adequate shelters, health care, and education.

We spend more money on the military than any other nation in the world, but we somehow can't defend our own borders. We pay politicians for their book deals and speaking engagements, but they cater to corporate lobbyists and create smoke and mirrors to the citizenry and fooling them that our votes matter. We are currently or know people who don't have unpaid maternity or paternity leave, have little to no vacation time, go bankrupt from skyrocketing health care costs due to stress, pharmaceutical drug reactions, and awesomely horrid food choices in tidal wave proportions.

The politicians in this country are more than happy to divide and conquer. They are nothing short of a spectacle, glitzing and glamoring and spitting and spiting each other at the podium at a sixth-grade level about issues they barely differ from each other, and fooling the public into thinking they're representing the citizens of their constituency. They know how to utilize the media to get people so jaded with them, and yet can continue to manipulate these same people to suit their agendas.

So, they're millionaires? What else is new?

That nails it in about 200 eloquent words.

 

[Sunstone]

That nails it in one ugly word.

That nails it in about 200 eloquent words.

Both posts are spot on, I think.

 

[esmith]

Well I look at this way; If those that are millionaires made it by their own hard work and innovation I would rather they represent me than from a person who doesn't have a dime to their name and has been living off the backs of taxpayers, to the intellectual that does not have any real world experience in what it takes to make a living but is relying on ivy league philosophy.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

Well I look at this way; If those that are millionaires made it by their own hard work and innovation I would rather they represent me than from a person who doesn't have a dime to their name and has been living off the backs of taxpayers, to the intellectual that does not have any real world experience in what it takes to make a living but is relying on ivy league philosophy.

For once, I partly agree with you. If someone is wealthy, and it's based off of their own blood, sweat, and tears, then I have no problem with that, or being represented by them. The question is, how many congresspeople actually got their wealth from their own hard work? My guess is not that many. Most got rich from being politicians, and conning it out of people any way they could. That applies to both Republicans and Democrats.

I'll disagree, however, that intellectuals with "no real world experience" shouldn't be some of the one's in power. We need thinkers, not just con artists, in government. I like Plato's idea, that a government should be run by philosophers. Things would run alot smoother, I'm willing to bet.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Such cynicism from one so petite & demure!
Tis a joy to behold, but you're unfrubable for now.

It's the thought that counts. For today at least.

That nails it in about 200 eloquent words.

Thank you.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Well I look at this way; If those that are millionaires made it by their own hard work and innovation I would rather they represent me than from a person who doesn't have a dime to their name and has been living off the backs of taxpayers, to the intellectual that does not have any real world experience in what it takes to make a living but is relying on ivy league philosophy.

There are politicians that are hard workers and innovators? Where can I find one?

 

[esmith]

I'll disagree, however, that intellectuals with "no real world experience" shouldn't be some of the one's in power. We need thinkers, not just con artists, in government. I like Plato's idea, that a government should be run by philosophers. Things would run alot smoother, I'm willing to bet.

Going to have to disagree with you there. I have known a few individuals with excellent educational credentials but with little or now "real world experience" and since they did not have the experience their common sense was somewhat lacking. An education provides you the knowledge to make something work but until you actually apply that knowledge and fail do you actually learn. The real world is a hard taskmaster.

 

[freethinker44]

What's surprising is that almost half of'm are not millionaires.

I know right. I was legitimately surprised by this article because I have always read that the percentage was much higher than half.

 

[Revoltingest]

I'll disagree, however, that intellectuals with "no real world experience" shouldn't be some of the one's in power. We need thinkers, not just con artists, in government. I like Plato's idea, that a government should be run by philosophers. Things would run alot smoother, I'm willing to bet.

Look where such reasoning got Plato....he's dead now! Philosophers have the luxury of holding untested beliefs.
Real world experience can ground one in reality, & temper extreme thoughts conceived in a vacuum.
(Note: This is not to say there are any guarantees that an individual will learn the right lesson.)

 

[Penumbra]

Although I must laugh that Democrats were "slightly" wealthier than Republicans. The hypocrisy!!!

Can you elaborate on what you found hypocritical about that?

 

[Clarity]

So politics is the preserve of the rich? How is that representative democracy? Do these politicians in anyway "represent" the majority of poor-lower middle class Americans? Sounds more like a new form of financially-based PLUTOCRACY to me.

Wow.

You must REALLY hate Hollywood, professional athletes, Silicon Valley, and Union bosses.