Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Membership in the U.S. Senate has been likened to that of an exclusive club, both because of its limited number of seats (100) and the fact that most senators tend to be wealthy individuals. Income level, in fact, prompted Annie Lowery of The Washington Post to posit the notion: What would the Senate be like if its seats were distributed based on class (rich, middle, and poor).
A Senate like this would consist of two senators representing the wealthiest 2% of Americans, and another five representing Americans earning between $100,000 and $1 million per year.
At the bottom wrung of society, eight senators would represent Americans with no income, and another 16 would represent those making less than $10,000 a year.
Thirty-four senators would promote the interests of the middle class (Americans making $30,000 to $80,000 per year).
Shifting the makeup of the Senate in this manner would change the economic philosophy of Congress’ upper house, which tends to skew towards conservatism due to an overabundance of affluent Americans currently serving as senators.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
What if Senators Represented People By Income or Race, Not By State? (by Annie Lowrey, Washington Post)
What if Senators Represented People By Income or Race, Not By State? (by Andrew Gelman, FiveThirtyEight)
Does the Numerical Over-representation of the Upper Class in U.S. Legislatures Matter? (by Nicholas Carnes, Princeton University)
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