The People’s Work Is Profitable

If you were concerned that the country’s economic doldrums might
be injuring the incomes of the people’s representatives, fear no
longer. The Center for Responsive Politics
reports
that

Nice work if you can get it.For the first time in history, most members of
Congress are millionaires, according to a new analysis of personal
financial disclosure data by the Center for Responsive
Politics.

Of 534 current members of Congress, at least 268 had an average net
worth of $1 million or more in 2012, according to disclosures filed
last year by all members of Congress and candidates. The median net
worth for the 530 current lawmakers who were in Congress as of the
May filing deadline was $1,008,767 — an increase from the previous
year when it was $966,000. In addition, at least one of the members
elected since then, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), is a
millionaire, according to forms she filed as a candidate….

[C]ongressional Democrats had a median net worth of $1.04 million,
while congressional Republicans had a median net worth of almost
exactly $1 million. In both cases, the figures are up from last
year, when the numbers were $990,000 and $907,000,
respectively.

Welcome to the Senate.The median net worth for all House members was
$896,000 — that’s up from $856,000 in 2011 — with House Democrats
(median net worth: $929,000) holding an edge over House Republicans
(median net worth: $884,000). The median net worth for both House
Republicans and Democrats was higher than in 2011.

Similarly, the median net worth for all senators increased to $2.7
million from $2.5 million, but in that body it was the Republicans
who were better-off. Senate Democrats reported a median net worth
of $1.7 million (a decline from 2011’s $2.4 million), compared to
Senate Republicans, at $2.9 million (an increase from $2.5
million).

The broader Washington area is doing
pretty well
too. Or at least the parts are that contain the
people who run the country and the people who lobby or contract
with them.

from Hit & Run http://reason.com/blog/2014/01/10/the-peoples-work-is-profitable
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