Hich Is True About The Makeup Of Congress?

6d. Who Is in Congress?

Congressional candidates must visit with thousands of potential voters to show their compassion and to demonstrate their strength equally leaders.

A paunchy, older, silver-haired homo with no facial hair wearing an ill-fitting dark adapt. This is the image evoked in the minds of many Americans when they try to picture a Representative or Senator. This stereotype is actually grounded in truth, although the makeup of Congress has inverse a slap-up deal in the past few decades.

Personal Characteristics

Senators and Representatives come from all parts of the United states of america, but they do not reflect a true cross department of America. Overall, members of Congress tend to exist older, wealthier, and better educated than those they represent. Nearly half of them are lawyers, and a large number come from business, cyberbanking, and education. Near of them are married with children, and nigh 60% are Protestants. Nearly all went to college, and many accept advanced degrees too.

Yet, this mix has inverse considerably in recent years. For example, the 106th Congress (1999-2001) had 58 female person Representatives and 9 female Senators. Although this does not reflect the ratio of the full general population, it represents big increases over past years. The number of African American Representatives has as well increased significantly, and there is a growing number of Representatives from other ethnic minorities.

Incumbency

This picture was taken on Pennsylvania Avenue in 1895, showing a gritty wintertime view of the nation's capital letter.

For the first 50 years afterwards the ratification of the Constitution, Representatives and Senators usually only served for brusk periods of fourth dimension. Travel was difficult, and before air-workout and the massive swamp-draining that improved the comfort of Washington, D.C., the nation's capital was a pretty miserable town. Most served one or ii terms and returned home to take local or state level office. Perhaps they had been rewarded with a federal judgeship. Today many Representatives and Senators are reelected as incumbents repeatedly.

As career politicians, members actually alive in 2 worlds. They must work with party leaders, colleagues, and lobbyists in Washington, as well as maintaining contact with their constituents at home. Most travel back to their habitation districts many times during the year. They requite speeches, take meetings, discuss bug, and observe with their own eyes the needs of their commune or state. Most have staffs in both places, and no matter which place they are, they must keep upwards with what is going on in the other.

Pay and Perks

Legislators dictate congressional salaries, and authorize pay raises for the incoming Congress.

How well are members of Congress paid?. Of course, the best office is that they go to fix their own salaries. In the yr 2021, the basic yearly bacon for members of Congress was $174,000. Congressional leaders, similar the Speaker of the Firm and the Majority and Minority leaders, become more.

So members of Congress are among the top one% of the nation's wage earners. However, they are prohibited by law from supplementing their income through honoraria or paid speaking engagements. Also, legislators have expenses that nigh people do not have — two homes, entertainment of constituents, and campaign debt. And then of form, they do accept some pretty large responsibilities.

Members of Congress are sometimes criticized for the number of perquisites — or perks — that they receive. For example, each member has an office, a large expense account, generous travel allowances, pension plans, and low-cost health coverage. They even have free post, a perk known as the franking privilege.

They come from all over the country. They yet tend to be older white males, and most of them have been in part for a number of years already. They are well paid, but they take a nifty many important responsibilities. The calling of public service certainly has its benefits, simply political life generates headaches that many Americans would just equally shortly exercise without.

Source: https://www.ushistory.org/gov/6d.asp

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