Government Gone Wild Releases New Video: Members of Congress Got Rich While Economy Tanked -cnbnews.net
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Tallahassee—Government Gone Wild, a non-partisan movement aimed at educating citizens about the national debt and out-of-control government spending, released a new video today. The video highlights an alarming trend: members of Congress inuring massive personal financial gain even while everyday Americans continue to struggle in the current dismal economy.
“This video reveals that a significant number of members of Congress are getting richer as Americans struggle to find work and feed their families,” said Blaise Ingoglia, founder of Government Gone Wild. “While free enterprise and financial success are commendable in the private sector, we elect members of Congress to go to Washington to serve the taxpayers, not to get rich off their elected status. As home prices fall and foreclosures and bankruptcies continue to rise, it appears that many of our elected officials have not only been immune from the bad economy; they’ve actually thrived on it.”
Government Gone Wild analyzed data from the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics (CRP). “The Video Congress Does Not Want You To See” reports the following:
· From late 2004 to late 2008, 223 out of the 535 members of Congress saw their average net worth increase
· The average net worth of 39 Republicans and 41 Democrats more than doubled from 2004-2008
· Of those 39 Republicans, the average net worth increase was 168%
· The average net worth of the 41 Democrats increased 756%
· From 2008-2009, the average net worth of these 80 members of Congress increased another 41%
· Currently, the combined net worth of these members of Congress is quickly approaching a third of a billion dollars
“Members of Congress have amassed their own personal fortunes while our national debt exploded,” said Ingoglia. “As these same members of Congress and President Obama continue to negotiate ways to reduce our country’s staggering debt, the obvious question is, why are members of Congress so good at looking out for their personal finances, yet so bad at looking out for the people’s?”
Find out if your member of Congress has seen an increase in net worth at The List:http://www.governmentgonewild.org/thelist.
About Government Gone Wild
Government Gone Wild (GGW) is a grassroots movement dedicated to motivating and educating people across Florida and the nation on issues relating to the national debt, reckless spending, and other fiscal priorities. Founded in 2007 by entrepreneur and producer Blaise Ingoglia, GGW has become an internet powerhouse, garnering over 3.4 million views on YouTube and 73,000 fans on Facebook in 2011. GGW is a non-partisan organization.
