Members of Congress better off than most Americans, but die sooner
Congress out of touch: crushes average American in indices of social well-being, except lifespan.
Members of Congress better off than most Americans, but die sooner
Thomas Fitzgerald, Inquirer Politics Writer
The 113th Congress that took office the first week of January is more diverse than ever, but it's still older, whiter, more male, richer and better-educated than the rest of America.
Those findings are courtesy of Measure of America, a project of the Social Science Research Council.
In fact, Congress outscores the people it represents in every measure of well-being, but one: life expectancy. The average lifespan for a U.S. citizen today is 78.9 years. Average congressional lifespan is 77.3 years. Is it the stress of the job? (Actually one major reason this number has been pulled down is that only about 18 percent of senators and representatives are women, and women live longer than men.)
Check out the fascinating graphic at the link above. My favorite stat: 0.6 percent of the U.S. population is comprised of lawyers. In Congress? 41 percent. (actually, that seems low.)
Congress is a bunch of crooks, with the exception of a few.— mystikast- Congress is a bunch of crooks, with the exception of a few.— mystikast
- Karma.— carl and sons
- So they die earlier. Who says there is only bad news in the papers these days?— b,ill at,kins
- Not soon enough!— tlee
- Of course they are better off: they feed at the taxpayer trough! Both parties! Is there anyway that the death rate would increase?— STEPHEN1988
- Thanks for brighting my day.— jimmymack
You can reach Tom Fitzgerald at 215-854-2718 or tfitzgerald@phillynews.com.
Reach Thomas at tfitzgerald@phillynews.com.
