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Report: 237 millionaires in Congress

Councilman

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Report: 237 millionaires in Congress - Erika Lovley - POLITICO.com

Anyone still wonder why they don't car what we want need or care about? Well here's your answer.


By ERIKA LOVLEY | 11/6/09 12:14 PM EST

Throwing at least 237 of them out on their asses won't hurt a bit. Big surprise.
 
No no ... they were elected to be there they can stay. But I say, these 237 should be exempt from any Congressional pay increases - they don't need it. Also, I'd suggest they take a pay cut, a la the the TARP CEO's.
 
I could care less if they are wealthy, the more important thing is how they all have to raise tens of thousands (or more) each election. They all constantly raise money, mostly from lobbyists and corporate donors.

That tilts our democracy away from the working class.

Killing corporate donations and passing public financing of elections is the single best thing we could do to help increase our voice in Washington.
 
Ockham said:
No no ... they were elected to be there they can stay. But I say, these 237 should be exempt from any Congressional pay increases - they don't need it. Also, I'd suggest they take a pay cut, a la the the TARP CEO's.
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For not even showing up for votes, all the benefits, and those sweet offices, 150k is WAY too damn much to pay them. Especially Charlie Rangel who doesn't pay taxes on all of it anyways LOL
 
Oh noo.... we're a Plutocracy... cannot believe it's true oh lord what will I do.

There's never been any suspicion that America isn't ruled by the wealthy. Its how it always has been and how it always will be.
 
Arch Enemy said:
Oh noo.... we're a Plutocracy... cannot believe it's true oh lord what will I do.

There's never been any suspicion that America isn't ruled by the wealthy. Its how it always has been and how it always will be.
Click to expand...

Plutocracy? :O WHY, WHAT EVER IS THAT?

 
EpicDude86 said:
Plutocracy? :O WHY, WHAT EVER IS THAT?

Click to expand...

Plutocracy: The Having of 237 millionaires in your law-making government structure while the rest 90% of your countrymen are going to be feeding their children with food stamps.
 
Arch Enemy said:
Plutocracy: The Having of 237 millionaires in your law-making government structure while the rest 90% of your countrymen are going to be feeding their children with food stamps.
Click to expand...

I'd say it's a mix between plutocracy and oligarchy. I mean, sure we elect them but do they really push the Will of the People? They're supposed to be our representatives to the Government, not the people who govern us.
 
So, you're saying the the people we entrust with spending our tax money are financially successful themselves?

The outrage!

:roll:
 
Bootsavich said:
So, you're saying the the people we entrust with spending our tax money are financially successful themselves?

The outrage!

:roll:
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It requires a high level of acumen to get paid 6 figures and do almost nothing.
 
Bootsavich said:
So, you're saying the the people we entrust with spending our tax money are financially successful themselves?

The outrage!

:roll:
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It is kind of outrageous when they create and implement the laws that make them that rich.
 
I think that the question is here how'd they get that way? One word. Corruption. The demo's have taken over, and it's not like the repubs did any better for the past 8 years, but the bottom line is that in one short decade, due to "progressive" policies and spending, that corruption and greed is alive and well, but it ain't in big business totally. It's in your local congressman, and Senator. They have fattened themselves up while they say to the rest, 'let em eat cake'.......


You know the saying, 'When the masses discover that they can vote themselves enrichment from the Treasury, then Democracy dies.'


j-mac
 
A much more interesting statistic would be net worth before election to current net worth.

Call me cynical but I would be that most have seen their net worth balloon while in office. AKA Diane Fienstein, Barbra Boxer as two good examples.
 
1 Easy Target said:
A much more interesting statistic would be net worth before election to current net worth.

Call me cynical but I would be that most have seen their net worth balloon while in office. AKA Diane Fienstein, Barbra Boxer as two good examples.
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Did you know John F. Kennedy only took $1 as his Presidential salary? What a guy!
 
Arch Enemy said:
Oh noo.... we're a Plutocracy... cannot believe it's true oh lord what will I do.

There's never been any suspicion that America isn't ruled by the wealthy. Its how it always has been and how it always will be.
Click to expand...

Seems pretty reasonable to me. Does anyone think the country would be better off if our Representatives actually reflected the population?

I'd rather not be governed by a body comprised in no small part of high school drop outs and people chronically in debt.

EpicDude86 said:
It requires a high level of acumen to get paid 6 figures and do almost nothing.
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I know it's cool to say that Congressmen do nothing, and that you're probably at least partly joking, but they absolutely work their asses off. The average Congressman starts their day around 6 and is going nonstop until around 10. Even when they're not in DC or in session, they're dealing with nonstop bull**** back in their districts or frantically trying to raise money so they can keep their job.

akyron said:
It is kind of outrageous when they create and implement the laws that make them that rich.
Click to expand...


What leads you to the conclusion that they've become rich due to the laws they've created? I would bet that the vast majority of Congressmen made nearly all of their wealth before they entered office. Furthermore, I would bet that the majority left a job paying more money to take office.
 

While that may be, I think our biggest problem is that we are wanting the MINORITY of this country to do what is best for the MAJORITY.

It's like getting a group of M&M lovers together and finding a minority, which is those who like red M&Ms and getting them to decide what M&M color is the best; their personal preference is red.
 

I don't automatically see a problem with that. If 3/4 of Congress was made up of brilliant and altruistic individuals who were leaders in their respective fields, we would be ruled by a "minority" group, but I would argue that we'd be better off.

The way I look at it, an ideal Congressman is someone who is:

1) Highly intelligent
2) Ethical
3) Personable
4) Fiscally responsible
5) Educated
6) Experienced
7) Successful

If we looked at a group of people who had most or all of these characteristics, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the average net wealth was over $1m.
 
EpicDude86 said:
I'd say it's a mix between plutocracy and oligarchy. I mean, sure we elect them but do they really push the Will of the People? They're supposed to be our representatives to the Government, not the people who govern us.
Click to expand...
That would make it a hybrid between a plutocracy and a republic, which sure if you want to look at it that way, it is. But it's not much of a republic... just do the math to see how many senators per electorates we have in the country-- It's not pretty.

Bootsavich said:
So, you're saying the the people we entrust with spending our tax money are financially successful themselves?

The outrage!

:roll:
Click to expand...
Yeah that would be the correct idea of how to do things, but we've seen time and time again that OUR GOVERNMENT IS FINANCIALLY IRRESPONSIBLE.
 

I think we don't see this ideal as a reality because people under those circumstances either find better work doing something else, or they're not willing to sacrifice their reputations (which seems to happen to quite a bit of well-intentioned politicians) or put their family in such a position.

You know.. politicians aren't the most liked group of people in the world.
 
and looking under your criteria, RightNYC, Jesus would be barely fit as a Congresshuman (to steal Dave Barry's term)
 

I know it's not always the reality, I'm just saying that I don't necessarily have a problem with it because most Congressmen got wealthy before election because of the same characteristics that led them to be elected.

Arch Enemy said:
and looking under your criteria, RightNYC, Jesus would be barely fit as a Congresshuman (to steal Dave Barry's term)
Click to expand...

I don't know about that, I'd say he fits all of them.

Hell, even if he doesn't, he can pull a diebold and just call it a day. :2razz:
 
RightinNYC said:
I know it's not always the reality, I'm just saying that I don't necessarily have a problem with it because most Congressmen got wealthy before election because of the same characteristics that led them to be elected.
Click to expand...

To be fair, I think that there is a good deal amount of "good people", but I also think that most of these good people sit idle while "bad people" run rampant.


I don't know about that, I'd say he fits all of them.

Hell, even if he doesn't, he can pull a diebold and just call it a day. :2razz:
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Only 4 years over the minimum age requirement.
I don't think he had enough wealth to understand how to spend it fiscally.

We'd be in a Welfare state if Jesus Christ was our Senator.
 
Arch Enemy said:
Only 4 years over the minimum age requirement.
I don't think he had enough wealth to understand how to spend it fiscally.

We'd be in a Welfare state if Jesus Christ was our Senator.
Click to expand...

Welfare state wouldn't be a bad thing if he could just turn the deficit into a bigass jug of Thunderbird.
 
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