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302 Comments
- JasonQpublic, on 11/09/2009, -27/+534Two words. Term Limits.
- 2Bnor2B, on 11/10/2009, -6/+391Two better words. Eliminate Lobbyists.
- enantiodromia, on 11/09/2009, -29/+405You mean Congress isn't filled with plumbers and food service workers? I'M OUTRAGED!
- Deveak, on 11/10/2009, -3/+228Term limits are nice, but you know whats also nice? VOTING THEM OUT! everyone seems to just vote in the presidential election like its the only one that matters, you can vote out you congressman and senator, so become more active in your local politics and get rid of the trash.
- DavidNiven, on 11/10/2009, -15/+235I never want to hear one of those privileged millionaire scumbags say "I feel your pain" as they are chauffeured to the bank while increasing our taxes.
- Jaime2000, on 11/10/2009, -4/+106The right to petition government is spelled out in the constitution, and non-rich sides use lobbyists too. I think a better solution would be to reduce the limit on campaign contributions to a small number (say, $250). Either that, or eliminate campaign contributions altogether, and make all candidates campaign using government funds without being allowed to use their own fortunes (to level the playing field).
- seduirai, on 11/10/2009, -12/+102as opposed to what? a career congressman? at least a plumber or food service worker would be closer to being able to understand the average american and make laws that are better for me personally. Instead of making laws that help large banks.
- juslen, on 11/10/2009, -1/+84Hell.. add up the benefits they receive, free transportation, security, health insurance, pensions, power, influence and job security.. and these bastards have it better than 90% of Americans both rich and poor.
- seduirai, on 11/10/2009, -9/+90I agree. Would you be willing to go back and forth between republican, democrat or independent? I would. Congress is out of touch and just a waste of my taxes.
- Thistlejack, on 11/10/2009, -1/+63Nah, he came from a fairly middle class home. His dad was a used car salesman, which is sort of funny considering Biden's personality...
- ShingoEX, on 11/10/2009, -4/+60Then they vote themselves raises and have the audacity to tell the public that the government needs more money.
- verycoolwinter, on 11/10/2009, -6/+61So who's a millionaire lawmaker more likely to "help," one of his millionaire friends who owns a big business, or people like me who aren't rich and are unknown. The reason big business has all its power it because it can use the government as a tool/weapon to fight off competition and those thinking to compete. We need to get government that forces its will out of the lives of everyone and everything. If you want a government, it should be a voluntary government that you physically have to sign up for. I for one can govern myself.
- record200, on 11/10/2009, -6/+58I lol'd
We, the people,...
Now I see why the laws get so weird... - pimpofpixels, on 11/10/2009, -1/+46This is why the rich get richer.
To an extent, you want extraordinary people in positions of power, and one presumes extraordinary people will have succeeded in earning a considerable amount of money in their private lives prior to running for office.
On the other hand, wealth and greed are frequent bedfellows. There is a category of people who's dedication to helping their fellow man has outweighed their pursuit of wealth, and those are the people we should concentrate on. - magamiako, on 11/10/2009, -0/+44Just an FYI, the original Congress were lawmakers that lived in their own states and traveled once per year to do the lawmaking stuff. Essentially, it was not a full time job--they were intended to have other jobs at the time, making the bulk of their money from private firms rather than public firms.
Then ***** got rather complicated :P
However, the key point to note here isn't that there are millionaires in Congress--it's that there is such a large discrepancy.
Noted at the bottom is a point to keep from all of this: Levinthal notes that "in some cases, [lawmakers'] wealth is being derived from the very companies that in many cases benefit from the taxpayers."
"The top companies at which members of Congress are investing, many of them are TARP recipients that have received billions and billions of dollars from you and me," he said.
So really, this is information we already knew. - frousfroud, on 11/10/2009, -4/+47I'm surprised by how little Biden is worth. I would have thought he was from money or something.
- Navicerts, on 11/10/2009, -3/+44Sure, I'll vote but it still seems futile doesn't it? For every educated voter there are multiple voters who will simply be swayed by whatever their television tells them (which happens to be good things about the candidates with advertising money).
Yeah OK, I'll vote just on principal... But I'm really ***** jaded about the whole topic :( - pizzaface200, on 11/10/2009, -6/+45Those two words could fix all the problems with congress.
- Elranzer, on 11/10/2009, -2/+37This nation was started by wealthy men who wanted to avoid paying taxes *without representation*
Fixed that for ya.
The founding fathers weren't libertarian nuts who thought tax was theft. They knew that taxes were a necessary part of government. They just wanted REPRESENTATION for their taxation.
Don't skew history to match your beliefs. - sniffymcdougle, on 11/10/2009, -4/+37Any DC-based ponzi schemes looking for some targets?
- brad3378, on 11/10/2009, -2/+35Three more:
Conflict of Interest. - nullcodes, on 11/10/2009, -2/+35I'll bet the rest of them misreported their income.
- 11oops, on 11/10/2009, -0/+28Of course not, because these same bums would have to vote for a bill to impose the limits.
- dasbrewer, on 11/10/2009, -1/+29Term limits or getting more people involved in the voting process? I'm kind of torn. I think if more people paid attention to who's representing them the less need for term limits we'd need. I also think the pay is a little high. Some of the first congressmen did it for free. What gives them the right to vote themselves a raise? It should be based on job performance and the constituents should determine the amount - if any.
- Meor, on 11/10/2009, -8/+36Don't worry Digglets, there aren't the normal rich people you hate, these rich people have *your* best interests in mind, trust them.
- Jaime2000, on 11/10/2009, -0/+27There are plenty of college graduates that are well educated without being millionaires and without having been born into rich families. They would probably have a bit more empathy for the majority of people, specially those who had to rely on scholarships or work themselves through university.
- BESTenemy, on 11/10/2009, -1/+27 They vote on medicare, even though they have a special coverage. They vote on pensions, even though they'll never have to deal with 401K's or public pensions, getting more in retirement benefits after serving just one term than a public sectors employee after 15+ of service. They vote on public school regulation, even though they send their kids to private schools. Their regulations affect the faith of the majority, even though their decisions are based on guidelines set up by wealthy minorities.
They do not support us and they're not going to be "voted out". They voted themselves in and they're not going anywhere peacefully. They'd rather see you disappear all together than have them loose their job. - DrNemo, on 11/10/2009, -8/+32These people aren't in politics to do good, they're in to make lots of money. Having power and giving handouts can be very lucrative. Also, most of them wouldn't get any wealth in the private sector, most of them never held a job outside of government. There are the Mitt Romney's who are successful businessmen, but that doesn't make them efficient legislators or bureaucrats. Government doesn't function like a private business, it has the power to tax. It doesn't create wealth, it redistributes it. It is evil contrary to business. Government is the monopoly of force and nothing good can come out of it. I'm just happy that there are people like Ron Paul in politics, that try to curb the evils of government with the influence they can exert, even though it is so marginal. Don't celebrate politics, condemn it. Why should other people rule us?
- anoriginalname, on 11/10/2009, -0/+24His wife still teaches at a college (community I think). I think it's interesting that the President and VP both have less money than every membber of Congress. Not forgeting that Obama money his money relatively recently through sales of his books.
- caramba421, on 11/10/2009, -0/+23This is a completely false dichotomy.
There are millions of people that are very well educated chemists, mathematicians, physicists, teachers, biologists, IT workers, computer scientists, historians, etc, who are not millionaires, and who would probably be much better suited to shaping policy than the folks that are completely in the pockets of the same interests that they should be protecting their constituents from being exploited by. - dbcaut, on 11/10/2009, -23/+45so what did you expect? This nation was started by wealthy men who wanted to avoid paying taxes.
But imposing term limits is like putting a bandaid on a bullet hole. Make incumbency illegal - one term only.
Then make lobbying a hanging offense. - Atario, on 11/10/2009, -2/+24I think it would solve a lot of problems if they were simply required to live in an average domicile, on average wages, with average benefits. Whatever those averages are for their represented regions.
Oh, and the IRS gets to audit them every year. To avoid under-the-table shenanigans. - InactiveUser, on 11/10/2009, -1/+21Yes, I wonder if they were Millionaires before politics. Maybe the White House is simply a churn factory for Millionaires.
- willspence, on 11/10/2009, -0/+19Can anyone explain why Biden is so low? 27k? I have a hard time believing that.
- jbwages, on 11/10/2009, -2/+21Joe Biden's net worth is only $27,012? What is he wasting his money on? It better be hookers.
- mkw408, on 11/10/2009, -1/+20The other 56% will be making a million a year when they get out working as a lobbyist or at a no-show position for some special interest they helped out during their term.
- Spindig, on 11/10/2009, -2/+19I heard a saying once that no politician that ever went to Washington came back poor. It is so true. Gone are the days of public servants. These politicians go there and wheel and deal with our tax dollars. They also invest in companies that they help to make rich by putting through legislation to help them.
So many people get worked up about the CEOs getting "rich off the little people", but have no problem with rich politicians who got that way making deals with the same rich CEOs that they are upset about. With companies we get something for the money that we give them (product or service) that supports them and if we work for them, we enter into a contract willingly. With the politicians, if they want more money, they pass legislation to raise taxes and then collect them with the threat of jail for non-compliance and then use our dollars to make deals that will line their personal pockets.
There is a distinct difference between corporatism and capitalism. Unfortunately, our government currently supports corporatism, not capitalism. That is what all the lobbying has brought to our country. It's sad that so many do not understand this distinction and turn to government to help them to keep the corporations in line when they are the very ones enabling them to grow bigger and more powerful. - opique, on 11/10/2009, -9/+24dey turk errr jeobs!
- Elranzer, on 11/10/2009, -0/+15Many out-of-office senators and congressmen become corporate lobbyists.
- pontiac, on 11/10/2009, -2/+17Also if they were paid a simple living wage it would mean that only people who wanted to actually be CONGRESSMEN instead of MILLIONAIRES would apply for the job.
- bunit03057, on 11/10/2009, -1/+15There wouldn't be much difference. These politicians just hire people to do most of the work for them. It's not like a service worker would have that much less of an understanding of macroeconomics than Pelosi.
Personally, I think that any person elected to office should have to do a mandatory introduction to economics, sociology and politics. If we can require continuing education of lawyer and doctors, then I think we can require it of politicians. That is at least before they can start proposing bonehead laws that effect the entire country. - gdog05, on 11/10/2009, -1/+15Are you sure McCain's still not a used car salesman? "You're going to love this Internet Freedom act! I don't use the internet myself, but I do know this bill has only been driven to and from church by a quiet little lobbyist."
- pLuhhmm, on 11/10/2009, -1/+15I like Marvel better.
- seanflyon, on 11/10/2009, -0/+13People have the right to petition government and spend their own money on political advertising. Corporations have no such fundamental rights. I think we should ban corporations from partisipating in politics: no corporate lobbyist, no corporate "donations" [bribes] to politicians or their campaigns. It would get rid of all corruption, but it would help.
Yes I know the Supreme court ruled that corporations are people and therefore have the right to free speech and to petition the government, but that was one of the most blatant cases of legislation from the bench in american history. It was a good law when the court created it, but corporations have grown too powerful since then. - bunit03057, on 11/10/2009, -1/+14Or he's just really good at tax fraud.
- kaelyiesta, on 11/10/2009, -0/+13Well, naturally they aren't going to eat the same ***** they force feed us. Why do you think the health care amendment to include politicians failed in the "affordable health choices act of 2009"?
http://help.senate.gov/BAI09A84_xml.pdf (go to section 3116 for exemptions)
This bill explicitly excludes congress. That should tell you something. - c010rb1indusa, on 11/10/2009, -1/+13I'll give you another three
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM - danielinvermont, on 11/10/2009, -0/+12I am not really surprised by this. What I would like to know is what was their net worth before they got into congress.
- iamdan1, on 11/10/2009, -0/+12FTA, 1% of Americans are millionaires, so it is still pretty rare. However, due to inflation it does seem like being a millionaire isn't as exclusive as it use to be.
- NoLibertarians, on 11/10/2009, -6/+18Term limits will never happen!
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