Bernie asks " why are most lawmakers millionaires?

[azmom]

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2014/01/millionaires-club-for-first-time-most-lawmakers-are-worth-1-million-plus/


How much does the job pay?

[SummerSnow]

1. Hmmm, good question..

Darrel Issa made about $60 million in 2012

[azmom]

2. $60 million. That would make me betray

My voters. I hate to say it, but I would.

How Bernie was able to resist the temptation. I will never know.

[NorthCarolina]

3. Strong sense

of morality probably.

[azmom]

5. His net worth is like

$330K

[NorthCarolina]

7. His politics isn't very appealing to

wealthy donors for a start. Bottom line IMO though is that he took an oath to serve his constituents, and that is what he has been doing these past several decades.

[azmom]

9. I agree that it is his sense of morality.

If he was in it for the money. He could have evolved on positions.

[randys1]

26. Darrel Issa is an embarrassment to the human species, as well

[aspirant]

4. ...another factor to consider,

Congressional Inequality. How can you represent the middle class when you're romping at the Country Club?

Maybe our Populist candidates should start coming from the 99%

[azmom]

6. Do they get rich while in congress?

[aspirant]

8. Only the greedy Capitalists at heart

look at Bernie's numbers and the Socialist in Seattle.

[azmom]

10. We have another socialist in congress?

[aspirant]

12. Watch out, soon to be

Maybe more will be reading MLK's message and running

[azmom]

15. My dad was a socialist. I never understood

His views, until much later in life.

Wish he was alive to see this.

[aspirant]

16. He lives thru you.

[azmom]

18. Awwwwww. Now I'm tearing up.

He's been gone for 10 years and I miss him everyday. When he retired he moved back to the little town in Mexico where he was from. At his funeral, many people spoke about his generosity. He helped many people in need.

[C Moon]

34. +1

[Jefferson23]

11. You have to hand it to him...great conversation starter. lol n/t

[azmom]

13. We have to get people asking the proper

Questions? That is how Bernie does it.

Why can't we have free college?
Why is the military budget so big?
Why can't Saudi Arabia lead the war against ISIS?
Why did we bail out Wall Street and not Main Street?

And many, many more

[Jefferson23]

14. Yep..and many more is right. n/t

[Man from Pickens]

17. They aren't when they get into office...

... but they are when they get out of office.

Do you really need to be Einstein to figure this out?

Rampant, open bribery is the rule of the day, and unless the official is a complete moron they can get away with anything.

It will change when the likes of Hillary Clinton are in jail and not a moment sooner.

[azmom]

19. People don't seem to want to

Accept that there are a bunch of crooks running our government.

Bernie is saying it as loud as he can, and it's like they are deaf.

It's frustrating talking to them.

[daleanime]

20. Some times the question....

is the answer.

[BrotherIvan]

21. Ask Dianne Feinstein and American Samoa

It's pretty tough to root out corruption when our side does it too.

[azmom]

24. Cory Booker, a millionaire

Essentially, they've turned him into a millionaire," said Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist at Public Citizen, a government ethics watchdog group. "What kind of influence is that going to have over Cory Booker's decisions when it affects those particular clients?"

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/08/more-money-more-problems-for-cory-booker/

[BrotherIvan]

25. He just endorsed you know who

Shocked not shocked

[azmom]

27. I posted this on their thread.

Is he well regarded in the AA community?

[BrotherIvan]

28. I'm all the way in California so people don't know much about him here

I don't think. He's so corporate he needs logos.

[azmom]

30. LOL

[RufusTFirefly]

32. Although Booker gets lots of contributions from law firms...

... one of those law firms is Sullivan and Cromwell (cue ominous organ music) and number 10 in his Top 10 is (drum roll) Goldman-Sachs!

[Thespian2]

22. Once heard this explained

by a Georgia state senator...he resigned in his last year because he could not run his business, support his family, and serve the people of the state unless he was willing to take under-the-table money (bribes) in exchange for his votes...he was a Democrat...

[Rosa Luxemburg]

23. How do they compare to lawmakers in other countries?

do they have bought elections - I guess they might?

[BrotherIvan]

29. The money we have in our elections is unprecedented

Also no country has the equivalent to Citizen's United. Election corruption is usually a hallmark of dictatorships, but we are trying our best.

[erronis]

31. And how many of these bribes are reported to the IRS?

The agency that the 'uglicans are doing their best to close down.

Cash on the barrel-head. We'll put it in storage for you in the Caymans. Your wife/mistress will be able to shop to her heart's content.

Oh, in the end we'll blackmail you till you shrivel.

[azmom]

33. So many questions?

[L0oniX]

35. MIC stocks.

[sadoldgirl]

36. I don't think that a lot of the ones

running for office start that way. Soon they will have to
learn from their colleagues how the game has to be
played, if they want to play any serious role in their
position or party.

I don't blame only the lobbyists, I blame their colleagues
to a great extent. They want to keep their jobs and accumulate
power. Thus any new "naive" member has to be taught
the necessary lessons. The party itself plays s similar role.

In other words"if you don't conform, we won't support you"
So, what is a new member of Congress to do?!

BTW this first plays out already on the local level, and a lot
of new members in Congress know what to expect.

[Utopian Leftist]

37. Anyone remember when politicians were called "public servants"?

To "represent service" to the people was a proud and honorable calling. Politicians have always been notoriously dishonest, but I don't think the world has ever seen a system like ours, in which money so obviously and blatantly controls every. damn. thing. that happens in Washington, and the ONLY few who haven't sold their souls to the system are the ideologues like Bernie Sanders, who happen to believe in what they preach: representing the best interests of the people they were elected to represent!