US Congress aka The Millionaires' Club

[Hannah Bell]

According to the survey, by the Centre for Responsive Politics, almost half of America's senators and members of the House of Representatives are millionaires. A full 261 one of them, in fact. Meanwhile, a mere 1% of the rest of Americans can claim such exalted status.

That is a staggering and crucial difference between America's elected leaders and the people who put them there – and in some cases, "millionaire' does even get near describing it. A startling 55 of the congressional plutocrats are worth more than $10m (and the database the CRP used does not even include the value of their homes). The richest is Californian congressman Darrell Issa, whose wealth lurks somewhere around $250m.

But this is far from being a partisan problem. The second wealthiest is Californian Democrat Jane Harman, who is worth just $6m less than Issa.

This is appalling. Any group of politicians in a democratic country is supposed to represent that nation in all its complexity. They are meant to be the people in microcosm. That is why we celebrate when female politicians break through – whether Sarah Palin or Hillary Clinton. That is why the election of a black president was so exciting....But why should an exception be made for the rich? Having only the wealthy elected to Congress hardly helps diversity of opinion or interest – except to bias it towards the wealthy.

What would be really radical about an American election would not be electing more women, or more blacks, or more Hispanics, or more Muslims, but some poor people.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/nov/23/congress-us-politics