Yes, congress is obscenely wealthy. I like this infographic because although it presents the congress members ridiculously, it is a lavish expression of their actual wealth. If John Kerry wanted to walk around with a â??big ass chainâ? of gold, he could.
These people who are essentially running the United States also have the biggest stake in the American economy. The percentage of millionaires in the states is miniscule (1%). Yet, the percentage of these millionaires in congress is over half (58%).
Do you think thereâ??s something wrong with this distribution? Are you slightly disgusted? Does this not seem unjust?
Ben Franklin would have agreed with you there. He proposed originally that congress members have no salary at all. Needless to say, his altruistic idea of congress was quickly shot down, leaving the dominant, greedier interests to take over.
Let me propel you all forth with a quote from Thrasymachus, a sophist of ancient Greece:
â??Justice is nothing but the advantage of the stronger.” (via)