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The Hill's Rich List

By The Hill Staff - 09/02/09 06:56 PM ET

Kerry, Issa, Harman most wealthy; new kids of ’09 are rich kids, too

Source:
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/57137-the-hills-rich-list
The contents of this site are © 2009 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsisiary of News Communications, Inc.

Comments (21)

now, do you still believe the Middle class has a voice in the federal government? If you do you are a fool.BY Brian King on 09/03/2009 at 10:02
One should not be surprised for Americans trust rich men far more than they do poorer people like Tom Delay who had to make his money the old fashioned way,by looting the Treasury.One would think Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia would be near the top,but you will be surprised to know there are an enormous number of Rockefellers.Jay has done an especially fine job considering his fellow Senator from West Virginia who has been reading far too many classical scholars while helping his constituents to the gravy train.It seems to me our nation has always sought out those poor souls who want to get their name in lights.Former Senator Corzine needed money like a ship needs barnacles.He went on to manage the Garden State.Talk about a thankless job.BY bilgewater on 09/03/2009 at 13:56
And these are the people who get the FREE lifetime health care. Surprise, surprise, surprise. Unfortunately, you can't buy a conscience, no matter how much money you have.BY Judi Stanish on 09/03/2009 at 14:15
Brian— So based on the richest 50, you conclude there are -no- middle class Members of Congress? There are 535 total; what do you know about the wealth of the bottom 485? And Judi, you're wrong about the free health care. Members of Congress are under the same health system as all federal employees. The federal government pays up to ¾ of the premiums, but it's not free. And it only continues after leaving the job for those who are eligible for a pension, which is not every federal employee or every Member of Congress.BY Rick D. on 09/03/2009 at 14:35
Rick D - The average member of Congress is worth $2.9 million - http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/57139-kerry-issa-harman-most-wealthy-new-kids-of-09-are-rich-kids-too.Middle class annual average income is estimated between $40,000 and $100,000. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_middle_classCongress gets generous health benefits - they paid less at the doctor's office under their own insurance than the national average in 2008 but also shelled out up to 13% more for premiums (no problem if you're worth $2.9 million).http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-06-23-congress-benefits_N.htmAny other comments?BY Louella on 09/03/2009 at 16:00
I am not into class warfare that is a Karl Marx Democrat thing. I care more about the Deficits they have been creating and about the enslavement of our children and grandchildren to pay them off if they even can!http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north752.htmlhttp://www.econlib.org/library/Columns/y2009/Hummeltbills.htmlBY Lori on 09/03/2009 at 16:40
truth of the matter is, there will never been truly DEMOCRATIC change (not in the sense of D vs R) but real change that helps the majority of those in this country until the middle class reasserts its control over the government through the ballot box. we don't need a Marxist revolution we just need an active Middle Class that demands wages that rise with inflation, 4 weeks of vacation, health care, and access to education.BY Jon Smith on 09/03/2009 at 17:25
Louella— First, Brian was alleging that the middle class has "no voice" in the federal government, so to back that up with respect to Congress, he would have to show that there are no middle class Members of Congress, but in fact, the article itself states that there are Members who show a -negative- net worth. Others, obviously, would have a small positive net worth. Whatever range of net worth you want to define as "middle class" there will be Members of Congress that fall within it. Middle class income is a different topic than middle class net worth, though I would note that the wikipedia article you cite says that people in the upper middle class typically have household incomes exceeding $100,000. A different point than whether middle class Members of Congress exist, which I will argue with you anyway, is what is the net worth of a typical Member. The "average" used by The Hill is the "mean" which is skewed by the very rich folks at the top. In a group of 10 people, one of whom is worth $100 million and 9 of whom are worth $10,000, the "average" (mean) net worth of someone in that group is over $10 million. But obviously, that doesn't describe the typical ("median") member of that group, who is worth $10,000. If The Hill had calculated the median in this article it would be a lot less that $2.9 million. The USA Today article proves that Judi is wrong about "free" health care and proves my point that Members of Congress are under the same system as federal employees generally. The federal plan is better than the average, but far from the best health plan around. Federal employees, unlike what Judi would have you believe, pay premiums, deductibles and co-pays like most people who have health insurance through their job. Anyone who is willing to become a federal employee can have the same "Buick, not Cadillac" health plan Members of Congress have.BY Rick D. on 09/03/2009 at 17:26
Pelosi's figure is half of what it should be…she's worth much, much more.BY James M on 09/03/2009 at 17:57
What I have been saying for years now-I would like a comparison of balance sheets from when these congress people began office and what they are now. This will tell the real story of how they use taxpayer dollars and laws to their benefit to line their pockets! However, No one ever does this kind of comparison! Crooks, all of them!BY Val on 09/04/2009 at 11:17

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