Growing Wealth Widens Distance Between Lawmakers And Constituents

The Washington Post:

BUTLER, Pa. -- One day after his shift at the steel mill, Gary Myers drove home in his 10-year-old Pontiac and told his wife he was going to run for Congress.

Read the whole story: The Washington Post

Comments

[Jay Thomas]

12:35 PM on 12/28/2011

A truly catastrophic trend if you ask me. As has been noted they have a different set of experiences and expectations and goals than the rest of us. It's hard to represent people you cannot understand or feel for in a more visceral way.
Also it really points to the uncomfortable fact that without a lot of money... getting elected is difficult. It has very little to do with ideas anymore.

[evahartselftlanguages]

11:45 AM on 12/28/2011

Money should go for the intelligent care of the people. We support and care for ourselves and uphold Rights for ourselves not just so-called leaders. In California there is not much healthcare for poor. Nurses write false progress reports. Nurse Julianne did not handle Pathology report w/doctor so no fast breast cancer care and risking the spread of breast cancer. The CA Medical Board supervisor did nothing about doctor "ripping" off bandage after breast cancer surgery. So painful! Susan Cady,Supr still there. Money should go for the people not leaders because it is a Government of the People,By the People and For the People. Eva Hart Sfc

[grainysmith]

10:08 AM on 12/28/2011

Calmate lurio!
1124 Fans
Become a fan
10 hours ago(11:51 PM)
Bzzzt. Incorrect.

It means "to set aside in advance for". Not to promote, not to dole out.

Now the rest that you copied and pasted is mostly correct. But you should really try to understand something before copying it and pasting it.

defense

DEFENSE, n.

1. Any thing that opposes attack, violence, danger or injury; any thing that secures the person, the rights or the possession­s of men; fortificat­ion; guard; protection­; security. A wall, a parapet, a ditch, or a garrison, is the defense of a city or fortress.

Too bad Lincoln wasn't defending the US when he attacked the South for legally seceding.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

People like Tim need to move as far away from America as possible.

[lemmyk73]

09:51 AM on 12/28/2011

Why do progressives love Pelosi so much? She clearly is in the 1%. and this post is about PElosi and progressives. I know the GOP is just as bad but please try not to divert the topic. Defend Pelosi please.

[tmc553]

01:20 AM on 12/28/2011

They also get outstanding, taxpayer subsidized health care and a citizen funded retirement package most working Americans can only dream of. And for what? If I did my job as incompetently as Congress is doing theirs I wouldn't be getting a paycheck, much less "socialist" benefits. Maybe their pay should be based average income of the district they represent with incentives based on results and production, not just getting elected. You would end up with a more truly representative legislature that might actually work for the good of the country.

[bilo rile me]

11:49 PM on 12/27/2011

Welcome to the ongoing Gilded Age! Wikipedia.

[Jerry Aripez]

09:58 PM on 12/27/2011

They make 174K a year....they are only working 180 days a year...do the math...and don't give em, O makes this and they get that....Stay focused on the point, they are ripping off the Taxpayers not working for the money and with a Congress of NO and nothing accomplished and with a 9% favorable...

[Jerry Aripez]

09:54 PM on 12/27/2011

All I can say about his is they in the House propose any pay hike for themselves, that they should all be brought outside on the steps of the capitol and eat lead...

[Genders]

08:54 PM on 12/27/2011

The Kucinich, Grayson Warren, CPC progressive aren't the rich ones, it's the DLC sellouts. All of the GOP has sold out enthusiastically.

There still is a difference.

Vote for the progressives in the primaries and the dems in the general.

The GOP is taking away your very right to vote.

Wake up.

Look it up. Kucinich isn't rich.

But that misses the point too.

There is nothing wrong with being rich.

It's what you do with it.

Do you believe the ingrate rich should rule, or do you still believe in democratic republics?

"When economic power became concentrat­­ed in a few hands, then political power flowed to those possessors and away from the citizens, ultimately resulting in an oligarchy or tyranny." John Adams

"As riches increase and accumulate in few hands . . . the tendency of things will be to depart from the republican standard." Alexander Hamilton

Thomas Jefferson, "I hope we shall crush ... in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country".

[JBS]

08:06 PM on 12/27/2011

Link says "Read the whole story: The Washington Post" - Not unless you pay.

Two things going on here - Being in Congress is a good way to get rich, but unless you're already rich, you ain't gonna' get elected. You won't even be able to run.

[Coinyer101]

08:05 PM on 12/27/2011

Solidarity! We are the 99%! We are global!  http://occupywallst.org/article/WOW-statement/

[losethelibs]

09:06 PM on 12/27/2011

You are also a fool or as they sat a useful idiot?

[smoker]

10:58 PM on 12/27/2011

If you read this article, you are a more greater fool than he for making this comment.

[mjdloc157]

06:50 PM on 12/27/2011

And Obama made 7.5 million on his book sales, so he is a 1% er,Pelosi is on vacation in Hawai at the four seasons, $10,000. oo a day, and they are the people of the working class, HA HA HA HA HA

[smoker]

11:03 PM on 12/27/2011

They are not denying and manipulating nor forcing the House/Senate to carry on with the tax cuts for the rich. It's your party which is doing it. As for vacations, is not half of GOP out in full force trying to win Nov 2012 with the rest enjoying their vacation or are they still in DC waiting for the Dems to come back?

Those who laugh last laugh the best.

HAHAHAHAHA.

[rdk70816]

06:17 PM on 12/27/2011

We could do a lot to straighten out the country, if we cut lawmakers budgets by 50% and their salaries by 25%.

[hobo62]

06:42 PM on 12/27/2011

How about a straight salary for a week, a little per diem, and a 6 week limit per year. And for staff, two. Same deal.

[rdk70816]

10:19 PM on 12/27/2011

The reduction in budgets would limit the number of staff.

[JBS]

08:06 PM on 12/27/2011

Probably work better to cut the lawmakers themselves by 50%.

[rdk70816]

10:20 PM on 12/27/2011

Better but unrealistic. The lawmakers get to choose the rules. They would respond to public pressure some but not as much as they should.

[zitlight73]

06:14 PM on 12/27/2011

This is the reason why they voted bi-partisan for the indefinite military detention. It has nothing to do with outside terrorists, it's about all the terrorists like Occupy Wall Street they want to lock up. They are scared of We the People.

[Snow Time]

06:07 PM on 12/27/2011

Obama and the Democrats wants the rich to pay more in taxes so they can wast more taxpayer money.

[zitlight73]

06:15 PM on 12/27/2011

And of course the rich never use our highways, water works or any of the other socialist infrastructure we have.

[BobRobertsFeltRedundant]

06:23 PM on 12/27/2011

they sure used our debt

[mjdloc157]

06:53 PM on 12/27/2011

First find out what they did with the "BILLIONS" they collected in Gas Taxes,that "would solve the problem of keeping are infrastructure healthy into the 21st century"JFK

[smoker]

11:04 PM on 12/27/2011

First learn to spell correctly.