Pay Raise for Do-Nothing Charlatans
Out of context: Reply #7
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- bliznutty0
*At least 35% of members of Congress are millionaires, according to their reports covering 2005. By comparison, only about 1% of all American adults had a net worth greater than $1 million in 2005.1
*The average minimum net worth of members of the House of Representatives is $2.4 million, with a median net worth of $385,000; in the Senate, $8.9 million and a median of $1.1 million. (Assets and liabilities are disclosed in ranges, which are often very wide, making it impossible to determine their exact value.)
*Members of Congress have millions of dollars invested in politically influential industries, which they also regulate, including real estate ($261.2 million); pharmaceuticals and health products (at least $25.5 million in holdings); computers and internet ($21.5 million); the oil and gas industry ($19.5 million); beer, wine and liquor ($8.8 million); and tobacco ($8.2 million).
*The large corporations in which lawmakers have personal investments tend to spend millions of dollars lobbying the federal government, and their political action committees and employees contribute generously to politicians’ campaigns, according to CRP’s widely used databases tracking campaign contributions and lobbying.