Food for thought

[TheGodfather]

The Iraq War cost LESS than the "Stimulus" Act.

[zephyp]

Wow. 09-10 took a real jump there. Must be a statistical anomaly. Fliers we call them...and yes I know many of you will call them twits...that voted for ole big ears.

[VBshooter]

Goes well with a recent audit showing Billions in wasted dollars spent in Iraq over the course of the war, and some piss poor Iraqi attitudes too.

[zephyp]

I saw a news flash today that the total cost of the war in Iraq so far has cost less than obigears' stimulus package...

[TheGodfather]

Speaking of the "Stimulus" bill, it seems to have made an impact on salaries!

The rest of the country is still struggling with high unemployment amid a sluggish-at-best economic recovery -- but the wealthiest members of Congress are in high cotton. Indeed, the top 50 wealthiest lawmakers saw their combined net worths increase last year, according to the Hill's annual analysis of financial disclosure documents.

Combined, the 50 lawmakers were worth $1.4 billion in 2009 -- an $85.1 million increase over their 2008 total -- the Hill reports. The members' total combined assets depreciated by nearly $36 million last year -- but Congress' well-to-do set also reduced their debts by a combined $120 million.

The list of 50 lawmakers spans both parties (27 Democrats and 23 Republicans) and both chambers of Congress (30 House members, 20 senators), the Hill reports.

Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts topped the list for the second year in a row; Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas made his debut in the top 10.

Here are profiles for the 10 most flush Hill power-and-money brokers:

1. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.): $188.6 million. Kerry's worth, which grew by $20 million in 2009, stems from his wife's assets. Teresa Heinz Kerry, of the Heinz ketchup family, inherited hundreds of millions upon the death of her previous husband, Sen. John Heinz.

2. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.): $160.1 million. Issa actually saw his minimum net worth drop by $4 million, partly due to the poor performance of a single investment fund. Issa's fortune stems from investments he and his wife made in the electronics market. Their company eventually became the largest producer of car anti-theft devices in the country. They sold the business in 2000.

3. Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.): $152.3 million. Harman is married to audio-equipment mogul Sidney Harman; stock holdings from his company, Harman International Industries, helped Harman's net worth grow by $40 million last year. Sidney Harman is in the process of purchasing Newsweek; the magazine's massive debts will presumably drag down Harman's 2010 disclosure numbers a bit.

4. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WVa.): $83.7 million. No surprise here: The Rockefeller family name has for generations been a byword for fabulous riches. (Rockefeller's great-grandfather John Rockefeller was an oil magnate; inflation-adjusted figures still peg the founder of the Rockefeller fortune as the wealthiest man in history.) But the senator's uptick in personal wealth last year came mainly from his wife's investments.

5. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas): $73.8 million. McCaul saw his net worth double last year, mostly owing to stocks held by his wife. McCaul's father-in-law founded the radio empire Clear Channel Communications.

6. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.): $70.2 million. Warner made millions through investments in the cell phone industry, including the Nextel company.

7. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.): $56.5 million. Before his 2008 election to Congress, Polis made a fortune in online enterprises, transforming his family's greeting card company into BlueMountain.com and founding ProFlowers.com.

8. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.): $53.5 million. Buchanan grew wealthy as the owner of multiple auto dealerships in Florida.

9. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.): $49.7 million. Lautenberg co-founded a payroll services company in the 1950s that became one of the industry's global leaders.

10. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.): $46.1 million. Most of the California lawmaker's wealth comes from real-estate holdings and investments made by her husband.

[chfaunce]

I saw a news flash today that the total cost of the war in Iraq so far has cost less than obigears' stimulus package...

Does that include the billions that have simply been lost? Don't worry, we have billions more to blow in Afghanistan now, so there's time to catch up.

But, I'm glad all that stimulus is really paying off - I mean, the economy is doing great! (sarcasm alert!!)

[zephyp]

Well at least the war in Iraq got rid of sadam. The only thing the stimulus got rid of was about $800B of our money and nothing in return.

[gunderwood]

Well at least the war in Iraq got rid of sadam. The only thing the stimulus got rid of was about $800B of our money and nothing in return.

On the contrary, the bankers got their bonuses!

[zephyp]

Well at least the war in Iraq got rid of sadam. The only thing the stimulus got rid of was about $800B of our money and nothing in return.

On the contrary, the bankers got their bonuses!

True true, but we got nothing but the shaft...well the bill too...and I aint worried one iota what the bankers got...IMHO they simply do not count and shall be thrown upon the garbage heap along with all the other liars, thieves, and cheats...