New Study: Only the Wealthiest Are “Represented” in the Senate

Whoa!  This just in!

But at least now we have a study to confirm what everyone, regardless of their political views, has suspected all along.  Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean you’re NOT being followed.

This study was conducted by Thomas J. Hayes of Trinity University and will be published next month in the Political Research Quarterly.  Hayes said:

“The fact that lower income groups seem to be ignored by elected officials, although not a new finding, remains a troubling observation in American politics.”

The study was conducted during the 107th through 111th Congresses.  And this has nothing to do with Republicans or conservatives.  Democratic senators are every bit as contemptuous of the unwashed masses who can’t afford to make large campaign contributions.

Hayes said:

“My analysis, which examines Senator behavior on a large number of votes, shows evidence of responsiveness to only the wealthy, a distinct problem for any democracy.  In some ways, this suggests oligarchic tendencies in the American system, a finding echoed in other research.”

And:

“Although Americans might not easily identify along class lines, this does not mean that politicians representing these citizens do not respond to them in this manner. If equal responsiveness is a fundamental practice in a democratic society, my findings question the degree to which this occurs.”

If you pay taxes but aren’t wealthy enough to be “represented” by your “elected” senator, that would be Taxation Without Representation.  Didn’t that exact phrase lead to a revolution of some sort, back in the 1700s?