Too much payback goes on in Congress

Too much payback goes on in Congress

The U.S. Congress with its 535 members is the most effective, counterproductive and insidious special interest group in this country. Because the voters have allowed our senators and representatives to accept money and favors from all kinds of special interests, for themselves and their campaigns, it isn’t any wonder why their votes are always to first return the financial favors from their benefactors before they begin to think about representing us and our best interests.

It is estimated that $2.9 billion was spent on the last congressional elections. Of that amount, 72 percent ($2 billion) were contributions from business interests. No wonder congressional votes follow the money. As if this system were not destructive enough, add the facts that these same folks are the ones who create their own salaries and benefits; exempt themselves from laws the rest of us are obligated to follow; refuse to get serious about ethics and new tax-saving budgeting procedures; and have done nothing to rewrite the rules in both houses to benefit the people, not their partisan selves and the money bearing special interests.

These are the folks we have elected to run that zoo in Washington we call the U.S. Congress. But in reality, it’s just another interest group whose members are willing to take any big money and vote accordingly. Shame on them. Shame on us.

Len Brauer

Palatine