Get elected to Congress and get rich: study

GET ELECTED TO CONGRESS AND GET RICH: STUDY
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Kevin Drawbaugh]
The personal wealth of members of the U.S. Congress has soared in recent years, leaving lawmakers on average far more well-to-do than most Americans as of 2006, said a study. The median net worth of senators was estimated at $1.7 million and House of Representatives members at $675,000, said the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington watchdog group that monitors the influence of money on government. The center released a report saying that until the recent economic slowdown, lawmakers "enjoyed an extraordinary run in their personal investments and other finances." The report said, "Members of Congress, who are now paid about $169,000 annually, saw their net worths soar 84 percent from 2004 to 2006, on average."
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1330776120080313