Politicians love to tell you about their understanding of the pain that is being felt on Main Street. Do they, or can they, really understand?
Some of course do, but I would venture to guess that the majority of those representing us in Washington do not have the capacity to truly understand the pain felt everyday by people around the country who are trying to make ends meet.
Whether it is the need to provide the basics of food and clothes, the ever increasing burden of various types of insurance or taxes of every kind moving nowhere but up to name just a few, people are struggling in a big way.
While this may not be a fair comparison, the two charts below show the growing dichotomy between those insulated within the Beltway and those elsewhere in the country. One shows the wealth of the top 25 members of Congress, while the other shows the underemployment rate as determined by Gallup.
How can these people possibly comprehend the pain on Main Street!
| 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 | Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) | $12,556,055 | $28,612,527 | $44,669,000 |
| 24 | Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn) | $11,342,046 | $28,116,022 | $44,889,998 |
| 25 | Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) | $7,045,017 | $24,472,505 | $41,899,999 |
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