To paraphrase author Jim Hightower, our political system doesn't need a third party. It needs a SECOND party.
Every time you encounter someone bashing Conservatives or Liberals, think back on this chart (which is only the tip of the iceberg). Our members of Congress all belong to the same party: the party of the rich and elite.
I believe it was Emma Goldman who said, "Voting is the opium of the masses." Pitting us regular folk against each other over petty ideologies is how the elite in Congress perpetuate the illusion that we have real choice between the Democrats and the Republicans. It was true in Emma Goldman's time; it's true in our time.
Comedian Chris Rock, when asked during the last presidential election if he was supporting Barack Obama because he is black, replied that he was supporting Obama because he was the only "one-millionaire" running for office. The other candidates were all multi-millionaires. While Obama probably appears further down the list, Rock's point is well-made.The best Americans can do now is vote for the poorest millionaire.
The Center for Responsive Politics has posted the estimated minimum and maximum possible net worth of every single member of Congress and the Administration (from 2008 data) at their website OpenSecrets.org. Here are the top 25. If you want to be shocked, look only at the "Minimum Net Worth" column. If you want to be appalled, look at the "Maximum Net Worth" column.
And you thought royalty and ruling classes were for other countries, didn't you?
After you pick your jaw up from the floor. Go out and register with a third party and then VOTE that way. Unless, of course, you like living in a third-world country.
| Rank | Name | Minimum Net Worth | Average | Maximum Net Worth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darrell Issa (R-Calif) | $156,050,022 | $303,575,011 | $451,100,000 |
| 2 | Jane Harman (D-Calif) | $151,480,522 | $293,454,761 | $435,429,001 |
| 3 | John Kerry (D-Mass) | $182,755,534 | $238,812,296 | $294,869,059 |
| 4 | Mark Warner (D-Va) | $65,692,210 | $174,385,102 | $283,077,995 |
| 5 | Jared Polis (D-Colo) | $36,694,140 | $160,909,068 | $285,123,996 |
| 6 | Herb Kohl (D-Wis) | $89,358,027 | $160,302,011 | $231,245,995 |
| 7 | Vernon Buchanan (R-Fla) | $-69,434,661 | $148,373,160 | $366,180,982 |
| 8 | Michael McCaul (R-Texas) | $73,685,086 | $137,611,043 | $201,537,000 |
| 9 | Jay Rockefeller (D-WVa) | $61,446,018 | $98,832,010 | $136,218,002 |
| 10 | Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif) | $46,055,250 | $77,082,134 | $108,109,018 |
| 11 | Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) | $49,083,204 | $76,886,611 | $104,690,018 |
| 12 | Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) | $-7,356,915 | $58,436,537 | $124,229,990 |
| 13 | Alan Mark Grayson (D-Fla) | $31,411,044 | $54,966,522 | $78,522,000 |
| 14 | James E. Risch (R-Idaho) | $19,468,057 | $54,517,026 | $89,565,995 |
| 15 | Gary Miller (R-Calif) | $19,365,053 | $51,833,526 | $84,302,000 |
| 16 | Bob Corker (R-Tenn) | $9,778,047 | $50,717,522 | $91,656,998 |
| 17 | Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) | $19,898,179 | $43,797,589 | $67,697,000 |
| 18 | Nita M. Lowey (D-NY) | $14,900,036 | $39,012,518 | $63,125,000 |
| 19 | Kenny Ewell Marchant (R-Texas) | $13,303,385 | $38,204,868 | $63,106,351 |
| 20 | Brian P. Bilbray (R-Calif) | $25,143,635 | $37,819,629 | $50,495,623 |
| 21 | Harry Teague (D-NM) | $21,119,041 | $37,102,019 | $53,084,997 |
| 22 | Denny Rehberg (R-Mont) | $6,598,014 | $31,421,505 | $56,244,997 |
| 23 | Hillary Clinton | $10,727,014 | $31,243,506 | $51,759,999 |
| 24 | Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) | $12,556,055 | $28,612,527 | $44,669,000 |
| 25 | Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn) | $11,342,046 | $28,116,022 | $44,889,998 |
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