Not that we need another explanation of why Congress is dysfunctional, but a recent news report on the wealth gap between congressmen and their constituents says a lot.
The Washington Post calculated that the median net worth of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives rose from $ 280,000 in 1984 to $ 725,000 in 2009 (in inflation-adjusted 2009 dollars, and not including home equity). The median net worth of American families dropped from $ 20,600 to $ 20,500 in the same period.
We don’t begrudge anyone money he has worked for, but there is evidence some members of Congress have used their position for personal gain. There have been recent disclosures of use of inside information to trade on Wall Street – a practice that, inexplicably, is not forbidden by law.
Although the list of the wealthiest congressmen includes Democrats and Republicans alike, the wealth gap helps explain why helping the middle class tends to take a back seat to aiding the more affluent.
Middle-income candidates rarely win public office because they cannot raise enough money to run a successful campaign. The wealthy have not just their own money but networks of affluent friends. But when such people get to Washington, can they really empathize with a………….
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