[Winona Online Democracy] I think the House should be expanded to 1595 members earning about $45,000 a year each. That would give us roughly one Representative per 190,000 constituents. That would still be about six times the number of constituents per Representative that was set out in the Constitution but would bring us much closer to a situation where each citizen might have a realistic chance of actually KNOWING their Rep (as opposed to possibly meeting and perhaps shaking their hands with them at a county fair or campaign rally). That would also bring their salaries more in line the 2005 per capita Income number of $42,000 (or 2005 Median income of $46,000) and ensure that their concerns really were our concerns, rather than the concerns of just the 3% of Americans at or above their income level.
Actually, when you look at how out of touch they are in terms of income and accessability, 29% approval seem exceedingly high! Ratio of representation in the House, 17891923 and Current Years Source Constituents per Representative 17891793 U.S. Constitution 30,000 17931803 U.S. Census of 1790 30,000 18031813 U.S. Census of 1800 33,000 18131823 U.S. Census of 1810 35,000 18231833 U.S. Census of 1820 40,000 18331843 U.S. Census of 1830 47,700 18431853 U.S. Census of 1840 70,680 18531863 U.S. Census of 1850 93,425 18631873 U.S. Census of 1860 127,381 18731883 U.S. Census of 1870 131,425 18831893 U.S. Census of 1880 151,912 18931903 U.S. Census of 1890 173,901 19031913 U.S. Census of 1900 194,182 19131923 U.S. Census of 1910 212,407 Current U.S. Census of 2000 696,952 Bryon _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org