7 of 10 Richest Members of Congress–Are Democrats

Maybe they want to hit themselves with big tax increases?Once again,  an update of the 10 richest members of Congress shows 7 are Democrats, and several are outspoken advocates of Obama's policies of taxing the rich, and even anti-capitalism.

Roll Call, who annually tracks the 50 most wealthy Congressional politicians,  reports the list of wealthiest Representatives and Senators includes some of the most outspoken advocates of liberal tax policies.   The top of the list is headed by Rep. Michael McCaul (R) of Texas, whose assets of $294 million are largely due to the fact that his wife  Linda is the daughter of Clear Channel Communications founder Lawry Mays.  The rest of the list is largely Democratic and includes:

• Senator John Kerry, (D) Mass-#3.   His wealth comes largely from his wife, heir to the Heinz fortune. Net worth $193 plus million.
• Senator Mark Varner (D) Worth $86 million dollars.  He made his fortune as the co-founder of Nextel Communications.
• Senator Jay Rockefeller (D) West Virginia #5.  Heir to part of the famous Rockefeller Standard Oil fortune, worth $81 million.
• Senator Dianne Feinstein (D) CA #9.  Net worth $45 plus million. Her husband gained money through private equity work.
• Rep. Nancy Pelosi makes the list as well, although coming in at #12,  she has a net worth of $35.20 million.

It's interesting to note that in the case of such notables as Kerry,  Varner, and Feinstein, their wealth (regardless of coming from their spouse) was gained through fairly common capitalistic practices such as building business empires in food service, communications or even private equity-Feinstein.

Isn't private equity the "dirty" business that got Mitt Romney raked over the coals during the election?   Obama's team hammered him on this "evil" capitalistic venture, but it's ok for Feinstein's spouse to make millions doing it because she agrees with his policies.

Back in September, Scott Paulson, writing for CBS Local in Washington D.C., penned a brilliant piece about Democratic millionaires who spew 'hatred' at wealthy people.  He pointed out they might as well be saying "damn me" for being wealthy.   Considering most of the wealthy Dems in Congress either gained their goods via some sort of capitalistic endeavor (or their spouse) it's interesting they are so willing to bite the hand that not only feeds them, but makes them far more wealthy than the people who elected them.