In a struggling economy, Congress members saw their wealth grow

[Barry O'Bama]

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) saw her net worth rise 62 percent last year, cementing her status as one of the wealthiest members of Congress.
Pelosi was worth at least $35.2 million in the 2010 calendar year, according to a financial disclosure report released Wednesday. She reported a minimum of $43.4 million in assets and about $8.2 million in liabilities.


http://thehill.com/homenews/house/166767-pelosi-wealth-jumps-62-congress-wealth

[jacobdrj]

Dude, those people are better than us, the average Joe. That is why we ELECTED them... Of course they are going to earn more, invest better, and generally outpace the general populace over the same amount of time...

Duh...

[Nbadan]

It's easy to get rich when your already rich....duh!

Ask the Donald

[boutons_deux]

those people are better than us, the average Joe

They get elected by wealthy/corporate contributions. The few exceptions are quickly corrupted by the wealthy/corporate lobbyists.

[Nbadan]

exactly...the problems in Washington are systemic and if you don't play the game the way its supposed to be played, like Anthony Wiener, they'll get you...

[greyforest]

Dude, those people are better than us, the average Joe. That is why we ELECTED them...

More money = better than?

We're supposed to be a democracy, not an aristocracy. Go look it up.

Over 50% of congress are millionaires, while millionaires make up <2% of the population. If America is a representational democracy, congress would be <2% millionaires. That means millionaires are 25x over-represented in government, which has led to our current situation.

[boutons_deux]

UCA is not a democracy, but stick with your bullshit myths.

It's a kleptocratic plutocratic corporatocracy.

[boutons_deux]

oops, wonder why Ryan's plan doesn't touch oil/gasco tax expenditures and subsidies?

Ryan's Shrewd Budget Payday

he and his wife, Janna, own stakes in four family companies that lease land in Texas and Oklahoma to the very energy companies that benefit from the tax subsidies in Ryan's budget plan.

Ryan's father-in-law, Daniel Little, who runs the companies, told Newsweek and The Daily Beast that the family companies are currently leasing the land for mining and drilling to energy giants such as Chesapeake Energy, Devon, and XTO Energy, a recently acquired subsidiary of ExxonMobil.

Some of these firms would be eligible for portions of the $45 billion in energy tax breaks and subsidies over 10 years protected in the Wisconsin lawmaker’s proposed budget. “Those [energy developing companies] benefit a lot from these subsidies,” explained Russ Harding, an energy policy analyst with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, when presented with the situation, without reference to Ryan. “Without those, they’re going to be less profitable.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/06/17/paul-ryan-s-shrewd-budget-payday-congressman-could-benefit-from-tax-breaks-he-proposes.html