Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for July 23, 2024

There was a Martin & Lewis bit on TV once where Dean told Jerry that all the members of Congress were basically working for them, and Jerry said into the camera, “All you guys in Congress, come over to my house Saturday and wash my car!”

If you feels that way then you should votes for a change, Rat.

And yet Fauci is the highest paid federal employee.

Wait, only half??

Best government money can buy…

It’s the ones who aren’t millionaires yet that are the most worrisome. (And the ones who only became millionaires once they reached Washington…)

Really? I find that hard to believe unless it’s ignoring the debts. Especially the unpaid balance on the mortgages. Sure, the house may be worth a million, but I’d be shocked to found out that 5% of the mortgages have been paid off.

This is one where the comic should have included a source citation for the joke? Also it’s distorting the distribution. The congress-critters are not at the low end of “millionaire”. I don’t remember if these comments can include URLs, so I’ll just say you can search of “wealth inequality in the United States” to learn more.

In fairness, the percentage of Congress people who are rich has always been close to that. It was created by the 1% after all.

I get the point, but it’s not really a fair comparison. Congressmen aren’t a cross section of society. If they were, you could expect over 11% of them to be living under the poverty level, and you could expect one of them (0.2%) to be homeless.

Good Grief…Leave the politics for another site for just once.

A Republic if you can keep it …

A million isn’t that much anymore.

And many of them became millionaires after being elected to Congress.

Duh

“Quasimodo predicted all this.” — Bobby Baccalieri, model train aficionado

Ask yourself how they make that money after being elected.

They came for my neighbor, and I said nothing. Then…

Laws, particularly taxes laws, are written by the rich, for the rich. That is why we do not have a flat tax

It has been this way for a long time…

The royal court stole the country from the king. Maybe, technically, they weren’t all part of the royal court. Let’s say nobility. The colonial system is still in place, now you have the right to pick a king from the pool of royal jesters :D

Surprised it is as low as 5%, especially if millionaire=having a net worth of one million since in many locations having a house worth one million is not uncommon. “The most recent data from the Fed’s Survey of Consumer Finances comes from the end of 2022. If you wanted to be in the top 5% of households at that point, you would need a net worth of $3,795,000.”

Mmmhmmm…..Goverment BY the people FOR the people. Has anybody heard that before?

More like they bought it

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

The US Empire, plutocracy in democratic clothing.

Take profit out of government.

Remember vote early… vote often!!

If not them, then their spouses, friends, relatives, and major campaign donors

For the love of all that is holy, please wait until GoComics reinstitutes commentary on political cartoons. There has to be some corner of the internet where we can take a break from all the toxicity (and I say that someone who enjoys pushing buttons and basking in the glow of the emotional meltdowns that follow).

definition of “millionaire”?

More like Robbing Hoods. Take from the poor and keep it for themselves. Then they justify it with religion, saying “God helps those who help themselves.” They’re helping themselves, alright. To our money.

There’re lots of fixes needed to politics in regards to money, but, we are SUPPOSED to be electing the best, a facet which includes most successful, amongst us, so this stat tracks.

A bigger problem is that in 1787, a Congressperson represented about 50,000 people – that’s a ratio where, if one doesn’t know the candidate, personally, one knows someone who does. NOW that ratio is about about 1:760,000 – that’s anonymity.

Stay out of politics, Pastis, it just generates hate speech. Do something FUNNY! Please.

Sadly true. How is it that most of them are miillionaries (or quickly become millionaires after being elected)?

Now ask about billionaires………..

Yup.

With great power and privileges comes great responsibility. Just saying…

Bye bye middle class … right on schedule.

Time to overthrow the monarchy!

Last I looked, there was only one senator who WASN’T a millionaire, or multi-millionaire, or more.

I think the real issue is how many people become millionaires AFTER they enter Congress and while they are serving in Congress.

AOC is one example. Far from the only example, but probably the one name most would recognize.

recently saw a report on Jackson Hole, WY… if you’re just a millionaire, you’re kind of a peon. People who make hundreds of thousands a year hafta commute from Driggs, Idaho over a pass. The average home in Jackson is over 7 million. I remember going there as a kid almost 60 years ago… sleepy little town then. Fantastic skiing, tho… if you can afford it!

Dirty, rotten, stinkin’ rich!

Please remember to thank the Magat Supreme Court for virtually eliminating all bribes/campaign contributions.

And now, political payoffs.

We already know how much the Supremes love bribes.

Guess I’ll be the one to ask: Is Rat just now REALIZING this?!

This is true. This is very true

I guess this snuck under their censorship radar. Ha ha!

America is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Everyone in office was elected. Don’t like them? Run for office. Nobody wants to help govern, they just like complaining that everyone is corrupt. You people are exhausting-

As Shakespeare said, the fault lies not in the stars, but ours.

That’s why they give tax breaks to rich people and make you pay for it.

Any elected official who spends more to get elected then the job pays should not be paid a salary.

Not fair. The two populations are extremely different. You would expect a bunch of highly educated, highly talented people to also have and to create wealth.

It’s all about insider trading. Ask Nancy Pelosi, that’s where she and her hubby acquired all their wealth.

You are exactly right, Mr. Pastis, and they have the ‘right’ to give themselves raises. The inmates are running the asylum.

$1M isn’t what it used to be. Anyone over, say, 60-years-old who properly planned for retirement has a net worth over $1M and ideally closer to $2M.

And thus we would get a real representation. A Congress who understands by experience the needs of a society.