The Perks of Being a Congressperson vs. We The People...

According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the average yearly compensation for US Representatives and Senators is $174,000. The Speaker of the House receives $223,500. The Majority and Minority leaders of the House and Senate receive $193,400.

Members of Congress elected in 1989 or thereafter are eligible for enrollment in the Federal Employees Retirement Program. As of October, 2016, there were 611 retired Congresspeople. Those retiring under the FERS system are receiving an annual pension of $41,076. Those retiring under the CSRS system (alternative system set up prior to 1989) are receiving an annual pension of $74,028. This is in additional to receiving Social Security income.

Besides basic salary and pension, the average US Representative's yearly "Representational Allowance" is $944,671. This includes personnel, office expenses and official mail. Senators receive a $3.4 million yearly Senators Official Personnel & Office expense account. Presumably, the hike in the Senators' expense accounts is due to the fact that they have a much larger geographical area to cover back in their home states.

According to CNBC, Senators and Representatives have gold-level health coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Seventy-two percent of the premium is covered for them. Additionally, they have free or low-cost health care available through the Office of the Attending Physician.

While this may sound, to many of us, like an incredibly good deal, we need to remember that previous to the ACA, these same Senators and Representatives had an even better health care deal. They were covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP) which gave them access to a five-star plan.

Paul Ryan (center) after voting against the ACA

(Perhaps this is why there has been such an angst-driven move to gut the ACA among the more Republican-leaning folk on Capitol Hill.)

As you might expect, it costs a lot to get elected. According to Maplight, in 2012 the average House campaign for those elected cost $1.68 million. The average Senate campaign for those elected came in at $10.4 million.

According to OpenSecrets, for the most recent election, Democratic Representatives received $1.9 million from lobbyists, while Republican Representatives received a total of $5.1 million. All told, lobbyists contributed $7.1 million to the campaigns of current Representatives.

The same source reports that Democratic Senators received a total of $3.4 million from lobbyists, while their Republican counterparts received $1.9 million. All told lobbyists contributed $5.3 million to current Senators.

That's a grand total of $12.4 million spent by lobbyists to influence elections. To state the obvious: Congressional elections are very, very expensive. To make another obvious statement: One wonders as to who actually has the ear of our Congresspeople.

Take, for instance the NRA lobbying efforts. The New York Times recently published a listing of the top ten Senators and Representatives receiving NRA funding in their careers. The list was published in response to the Las Vegas mass killings, which was followed by the Valentine's Day mass killings of children at a high school in Parkland, Florida. 

The NRA money totals out to over $44 million. That's just what the NRA spent on twenty congresspeople. And they're one of thousands of lobbying organizations. And the NRA isn't even the top money-giver in town. The Hill reports that last year the top fifty companies and industry groups paid more than $716 million in lobbying Congress and the federal government.

So, what's the point of all these statistics?

Is "big" government bad?

Do we need to "drain the swamp?"

Are term limits for Congressional representatives a good thing?

None of those things will necessarily create a more effective government.

It seems we need a more efficient government, not a smaller one. With stricter rules limiting lobbying. We need to encourage voter participation, including among people of color. We need to end gerrymandering.

Efforts could include getting out the vote campaigns. (Routinely US national elections draw between 50-60% of the eligible voters in a presidential election year; around 50% in midterms. According to Pew Research, the US ranks fourteenth out of eighteen developed countries in getting out the vote.)

But there is hope on the horizon. The Women's Marches on Washington have sparked off a level of political activism not seen in decades. Across the country many women, especially minority women, are committing to run for elected offices - at the local level, state, and on up to Washington. The Black Lives Matter movement is a significant part of this activity.

In early April, The Atlantic reported that eleven Democratic and twenty-seven Republican Congressional representatives had either resigned or announced their retirement. That's thirty-eight open slots already - and more are sure to follow.

This presents a possibility for significant change - if we stay alert and keep informed, focusing on the midterm elections in November.

Already in my home state I've seen non-profit organizations soliciting signatures for petitions that would make it easier for individuals to register to vote.

New ideas. New energy. Staying informed. Making it easier to vote and have a say in our federal government - all of these things are hopeful signs that things are changing.

I've often wondered at all the political polarization and negativity found in abundance since the last election. It strikes me as odd that tone (both from the right and left) is as if somehow the "government"(be it local, state or federal) has gotten out of control and it isn't "ours" anymore.

The fact is, we still live in a democratic republic. Our Constitution is still in effect. That means our government reflects who we are. If we feel that it doesn't, we need to become involved in active, positive change.

Photo Credits: Photo of Paul Ryan by Kevin Lamarquel/Reuters