Imagine that 100 people live in America. Ninety-nine of them are not millionaires. Just one is, and it’s not me.
Now, imagine that 535 members of Congress spend time in Washington failing to enact legislation to balance the budget. What percentage do you think are millionaires? Since one American in a hundred is a millionaire, you might guess that 5.3 of them have at least seven digits of net worth. (I know you’re troubled by the thought of the .3 member: he’s been divorced twice and is paying alimony.)
Bipartisanship at its finest: everyone working together to create wealth for people that are themselves (See more information at: http://www.opensecrets.org/)
But really, you don’t have to worry about the divorced guy because if you go to opensecrets.org, you find that 40-50% of those who speak in sound bites are millionaires. Many, it’s true, are what we would call “poor” millionaires; they have assets worth less than $10 million. Not because they aren’t trying, but because so many congressional shoppers are out there looking for deals. Every day is Black Friday for Congress, and the mall is always crowded. Of course the assets listed on the website don’t necessarily reflect their spouse’s income, their congressional income, or the true value of their assets, so maybe some of them are just being modest.
I am upset.
I, too, can sit in chairs and fail to come to a consensus. I have had years of bitterness training, so I could add a lot to bitter partisanship. I get cold easily and would not mind cozying up to rich corporations with a few hot deals to share. I like to fly around in private jets and bring my family. I can talk for hours without saying anything of substance, and I love flip-flops. Why am I not in Congress getting rich off of the 99%!
If we want to get out of this economic slump and create wealth in this country, we need to enact mandatory Congress duty. It would be just like jury duty; all eligible Americans would serve one to two terms, enough time to double or triple their wealth. And I think that whoever she is in northeastern Wisconsin but originally from Texas that thought of this should serve first.
year-struck 
politician = a theif voted into office to steal your money!
Are they already that way before we vote for them, or does being around all that temptation change them?
I’m in for Pennsylvania! I have been trying to get my husband to run or anything for eternal health benefits and pension.
There are 535 positions, Kate, so I’ll put you down for Pennsylvania.
You would be less embarrassing than the last several Texas has put on the national stage. I’m a Texan and I’m humiliated.
The value of my method is that there would be no campaigning necessary for anyone serving in Congress. I’m still working on the positions in the executive branch.
Sigh. I am trying not to get “political” but there’s a storm a brewin’ in the post I’m working on right now. Grrrrr.
I look forward to reading your take.
Your first stop ought to be a too-big-to-fail investment bank. The next natural progression is into Congress!
…and you’ll have the piastres ‘flowin
That sounds like a plan.
You’ve got a great idea! Since I’m from Michigan, I thought that maybe the two mittens could become a pair, work together and you could represent us. How does that sound? 🙂
I can only represent Wisconsin, so you’ll have to represent Michigan.
Great idea. I know I could muck things up a bit less than is happening now for less than they are being paid. Any of us could. I can represent CA.
Thank you for volunteering. I think you would do a great job representing California. In the meantime, practice sitting around and not reaching consensus.
When’s it gonna be my turn? I wanna play, too! 🙂
Which state would you like to represent? I’m making a list now. 🙂
Gee, I don’t know. How about Alaska? I could do that: live in a small Inuit village (if they’d let me) and adopt a pet moose. Yep, it’s Alaska for me!
No 1, I didn’t know 1 in every 100 Americans is a millionaire. I wonder what it is here in Australia. No. 2 I love your blog name! And 3, that was very interesting – and well put. It sickens me that some people have TOO MUCH money. I know, who am I to say what is too much? But when I read that Beyonce had already spent a million on her baby’s toys, I thought – I could buy a house for that, and leave it for my son in my will. It is enormously unbalanced, and tragically so. I’m your average – in debt, getting by, working – I’m not on the street or anything: but the billionaires etc; too much, too much. Surely money loses its taste when you have too much?
Millionaires represent approximately 1% of Americans, or a little over 3 million out of 311 million. Some estimate that the number is higher and some say it’s lower. If you go to the International Business Times website http://m.ibtimes.com/millionaire-wealth-management-156051.html they rank the US as the country having the most millionaires, but suggest there are around 5 million. Those numbers represent 2009/2010. On that same site, it gives a number of around 133,000 millionaires for Australia. Based on a population of 21.9 million, that means one out of every 166 Australian is a millionaire, too. (You might want to check my numbers. :))
I have nothing against people working hard and earning money. Good for them. As long as we all pay our fair share of taxes and earn the money legally, I don’t care. I do have something against politicians wheeling, dealing, and making profits off of inside information, and then passing legislation that benefits corporations in which they hold stock. As for all the celebrities, sports figures, and other entertainers, if people are willing to pay that much money to watch them or listen to them, there’s nothing we can do about it. I think it’s ridiculous, so I don’t put my money there.
Okay, now that I got that rant out. Hi, I really like the name of your blog, too. I will be over later today to read your posts.
Oh, no, I haven’t the mind or patience to check numbers – but I AM impressed with what you’ve written. I had no idea there were that many millionnaires in Australia – but you know, 1 million dollars isn’t actually THAT much I don’t reckon. I reckon it could buy me a house (to pass on to my son) and a holiday, & that’s it – oh, and a cat WHICH I COULD AFFORD THE NEEDLE/VET BILLS OF. But that’s it! I don’t actually think in this day & age, 1Mill is a lot (well it’s a lot to ME, but meaning a relative lot).
I agree with you of the difference. I would have NO IDEA how to work taxation in my favour (if it were possible!) because I have not the mind, have not had the guidance, and I do not fancy numbers – I love words. But I DO ABSOLUTELY agree, re politicians and their leveraging.
Great post.
And thanks for your compliment to my name 🙂
I really enjoyed your post.. N’n.
Excellent idea. If only.
The resulting Congress couldn’t do any worse than the one we have now.
Occupy Congress?
I prefer defenestration.
haha I love your suggestion at the end of the post 😉
I should start a movement to make it happen.
I think you’re onto something…
Or maybe you’re ON something, I’m not sure which!
You’re not the first to wonder. 🙂
I’ll vote for your Congressional system. The more people get stuck trying to actually *do* something in office in America for even a short period of time, the more they’re likely to rebel against all that so fiercely obstructs serious progress in our magical system!
I just wish we had plainspoken people with common sense in Congress instead of people with nice hair and lack of sense.
And I was having so much fun laughing until now…. (sigh) Still, it’s probably for the best, since if I’d done much more of that, I might have overdosed on it and died of laughter. 🙂
I understand how it is though.. I write some posts about politics sometimes too.
You just have to get the stuff off your chest sometimes.
I look forward to reading more of your posts in the future.
Thank you for reading. Yes, now and then I need to write about politics and serious things. All in moderation.