U.S. Congress's Approval Rating Fallen to 9%

[Bracket]

If the congressional "super committee" does not reach a deficit reduction deal by Wednesday's legally mandated deadline, I propose we take a page from the NBA owners and lock Congress out.

I'm serious. We, the taxpayers, are the owners of Congress and if Congress won't make a deal that helps our nation, then let's put a big padlock on the doors of the House and Senate -- or at least change the locks and not give them the keys.

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[Fluffybunny]

The following are 12 statistics about money and Congress that are so outrageous that it is hard to believe that they are actually true....

#1 The collective net worth of all of the members of Congress increased by 25 percent between 2008 and 2010.

#2 The collective net worth of all of the members of Congress is now slightly over 2 billion dollars. That is "billion" with a "b".

#3 This happened during a time when the net worth of most American households was declining rapidly. According to the Federal Reserve, the collective net worth of all American households decreased by 23 percent between 2007 and 2009.

#4 The average net worth for a member of Congress is now approximately 3.8 million dollars.

#5 The net worth of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi increased by 62 percent from 2009 to 2010. In 2009 it was reported that she had a net worth of 21.7 million dollars, and in 2010 it was reported that she had a net worth of 35.2 million dollars.

#6 The top Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, saw his wealth grow by 29 percent from 2009 to 2010. He is now worth approximately 9.8 million dollars.

#7 More than 50 percent of the members of the U.S. Congress are millionaires.

#8 In 2008, the average cost of winning a seat in the House of Representatives was $1.1 million and the average cost of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate was $6.5 million. Spending on political campaigns has gotten way out of control.

#9 Insider trading is perfectly legal for members of the U.S. Congress – and they refuse to pass a law that would change that.

#10 The percentage of millionaires in Congress is more than 50 times higher than the percentage of millionaires in the general population.

#11 U.S. Representative Darrell Issa is worth approximately 220 million dollars. His wealth grew by approximately 37 percent from 2009 to 2010.

#12 The wealthiest member of Congress, U.S. Representative Michael McCaul, is worth approximately 294 million dollars.My link

These people get into these positions to get rich, and they will continue to steal as much as they can get away with, as fast as they can, until they are stopped. They could (and will) have a 0% approval rating and they will not change their ways, and will vote themselves perks and raises for the end of their life.

No amount of OWS type events will make the slightest difference. They will laugh at protestors. Not until enough people get very angry and start taking that anger out on those in power will they pay any attention.

[questionmark]

One thing is that all say that they disapprove of Congress... problem here is that most of the same people approve of their Congressman/woman... so nothing will change...

[Harte]

These people get into these positions to get rich...

The above is unsupportable as it stands.

After all, how many of them were rich already?

Not saying they're not getting richer, but to claim they ran for office merely to get rich is to claim they were not rich already.

There's more money to be made outside Congress than inside, at any rate.

Harte

[Drayno]

If a disapprove, I'll be laughed at.

But if I take action, I'll go to jail.

Revolution?

[JaySleeps]

When our nation was founded it was an honor and a public duty to act as a Congressman/Senator. Today it is a career.

People who list "Congressman(or woman)" as their occupation will not do anything to jeopardize their re-elections.

Furthermore, it is easier for lobbyists to get their hands on a handful of politicians and have lasting influences since legislators tend to be in office for a long time.

I think term limits will not only attract more "outsider" candidates with private sector experience, but it will also enable the legislator to have the political willpower to vote in the best interest of their constituents who are NEVER 100% Republican (Conservative) or 100% Democrat (Liberal).

Compromise is the name of the game in Congress and each party has their sacred cows that they will never compromise on and this leads to obvious gridlock.

[acidhead]

from the article:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/21/opinion/obeidallah-congress-failure/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

....Polls show that me....

Hold on a second.... I was told this week that every time Ron Paul wins a debate poll it's because the polls are rigged. CNN, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, FOX, the NYT have been claiming that Ron Paul supporters stuff the ballot boxes so the polls cannot be trusted.

Why is CNN running an article that uses a poll to back it's claim if these polls cannot be trusted anyhow?

[Drayno]

When our nation was founded it was an honor and a public duty to act as a Congressman/Senator. Today it is a career.

People who list "Congressman(or woman)" as their occupation will not do anything to jeopardize their re-elections.

Furthermore, it is easier for lobbyists to get their hands on a handful of politicians and have lasting influences since legislators tend to be in office for a long time.

I think term limits will not only attract more "outsider" candidates with private sector experience, but it will also enable the legislator to have the political willpower to vote in the best interest of their constituents who are NEVER 100% Republican (Conservative) or 100% Democrat (Liberal).

Compromise is the name of the game in Congress and each party has their sacred cows that they will never compromise on and this leads to obvious gridlock.

I agree with your opening statement one-hundred percent...

These times are a catalyst for change.

[Fluffybunny]

The above is unsupportable as it stands.

After all, how many of them were rich already?

Not saying they're not getting richer, but to claim they ran for office merely to get rich is to claim they were not rich already.

There's more money to be made outside Congress than inside, at any rate.

Harte

Well, I think I am going to have to disagree. From what I can see, the insider trading(which is tolerated), as well as the bonuses that they receive from those in business trying to help/inspire beneficial legislation. Incredible retirement plans that get given from each and every position that is held for the rest of their lives. There are just so many benefits to the people in those positions that it has become a rich career path.

[lightly]

One thing that bothers me is, the so called Revolving Door between business and government. ( lobbyists in the mix too )

They manage to slither in and out of government and powerful business positions, setting up deals for themselves and their supporters basically.. the end result being... HUGE amounts of public money into private pockets. There are what i see as several criminal networks controlling different aspects of the economy. Most of you know what i'm talking about.

For example, look into the history of nutra sweet and how it came to be in so many food products.

Nutra sweet (Aspertame) will soon have a new name so as not to confuse it with the old poison... AminoSweet? ... i think that's it.

[JaySleeps]

Well, I think I am going to have to disagree. From what I can see, the insider trading(which is tolerated), as well as the bonuses that they receive from those in business trying to help/inspire beneficial legislation. Incredible retirement plans that get given from each and every position that is held for the rest of their lives. There are just so many benefits to the people in those positions that it has become a rich career path.

Just say a piece on the insider trading laws and how they do not apply to members of Congress who receive prior inside knowledge due to their committee. It was very alarming and eye-opening. I don't doubt that the depth of such practices is abyssal.

[sam12six]

Well, I think I am going to have to disagree. From what I can see, the insider trading(which is tolerated), as well as the bonuses that they receive from those in business trying to help/inspire beneficial legislation. Incredible retirement plans that get given from each and every position that is held for the rest of their lives. There are just so many benefits to the people in those positions that it has become a rich career path.

I'm with you. Between these financial advantages and the frequency with which legislators leave to become consultants for companies who gave them big contributions and whose business their votes helped secure an advantage, the whole thing just feels wrong.

I'd love to see congressional pay be determined by the percentage of votes they got in their district. Do that, and they're suddenly interested in working on behalf of their constituents. Throw in serious campaign reform - I'd like it if there were no contributions or advertising allowed. Just have televised debates on the government's dime (if a Presidential Address can pre-empt all other network broadcasts 3 or 4 times a year, I don't see why a series of debates can't do so a few times every 4 years. Add in the stipulation that they are covered by the same regulations and penalties that trading house employees are subject to and you pretty much kill all the conflicts of interest.

Of course, there's less than a snowball in hell chance of this happening because the only ones capable of creating such regulations are - them. You let anyone vote for their own salaries and legal benefits and it's no surprise they take advantage of the situation.

[Paracelse]

I posted this in another link just a few second ago and yet again, it is so right when it comes to congress:

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

[cerberusxp]

Would never happen but I've said it before Congress pay should be reflective of their rating. 9%? Well 91% of their pay retirement and health care monies should be held in a fund to help the impoverished. Or go into a grant system for business start up. If I were a Congressman I would strong arm such a bill!

Edited November 27, 2011 by cerberusxp