Congress doesn’t look much like the rest of us

It can be frustrating to watch our politicians fail to address the issues important to everyday Americans. But perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. Just look at the makeup of the United States Congress. Our 435 members of the House and Senate just aren’t much like us. For example, 51% of members of our current Congress are millionaires. Meanwhile, just 5% of the U.S. population is a millionaire. 77% of members of Congress are white men. But white men make up just 31% of our overall population. 51% of the American population are women, but women make up just 20% of Congress. 67% of Congress is comprised of people over 55 years old, but the overall population reaching that age is just 28%. When it comes to occupation, of the 124 million who comprise the U.S. workforce, only 6% are lawyers. But in Congress, 45% of the members are lawyers. Perhaps the reason Congress doesn’t vote in our interests is because they simply aren’t like most of us. The representatives voters have chosen are overwhelmingly affluent. Whether voters elect them because they have been successful, or because people of lesser means don’t run for public office is not clear, but clearly we shouldn’t assume that members of Congress understand our circumstances. Keep that in mind next time you step into the voting booth.