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In other words, most Congress members are well insulated from the economic results of their votes -- except for the part where they use their votes to fatten their own bank accounts. While their financial status may appear to be irrelevant, it's not. They're so insulated from anyone who isn't wealthy -- or a lobbyist - that many of them have no idea at all what the rest of us are dealing with:

The wealthiest one-third of lawmakers were largely immune from the Great Recession, taking the fewest financial hits and watching their investments quickly recover and rise to new heights. But more than 20 percent of the members of the current Congress — 121 lawmakers — appeared to be worse off in 2010 than they had been six years earlier, and 24 saw their reported wealth slide into negative territory.

Welcome to our world, tiny group of Congress members!

Most members weathered the financial crisis better than the average American, who saw median household net worth drop 39 percent from 2007 to 2010. The median estimated wealth of members of the current Congress rose 5 percent during the same period, according to their reported assets and liabilities. The wealthiest one-third of Congress gained 14 percent.

I'm sure all that perfectly legal insider information comes in handy.