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You have arrived at the web home of Noah Brier. This is mostly an archive of over a decade of blogging and other writing. You can read more about me or get in touch. If you want more recent writing of mine, most of that is at my BrXnd marketing x AI newsletter and Why Is This Interesting?, a daily email for the intellectually omnivorous.

February, 2010

Un-Representative Representatives

A proposal for senators representing different income brackets.
Over at Snarkmarket, Robin points a fun Washington Post article that imagines new ways to divide Senate seats. Here's the income plan:
Imagine a chamber in which senators were elected by different income brackets -- with two senators representing the poorest 2 percent of the electorate, two senators representing the richest 2 percent and so on.

Based on Census Bureau data, five senators would represent Americans earning between $100,000 and $1 million individually per year, with a single senator working on behalf of the millionaires (technically, it would be two-tenths of a senator). Eight senators would represent Americans with no income. Sixteen would represent Americans who make less than $10,000 a year, an amount well below the federal poverty line for families. The bulk of the senators would work on behalf of the middle class, with 34 representing Americans making $30,000 to $80,000 per year.
Obviously this won't be happening anytime soon, but it definitely puts into perspective just how un-representative our representatives are.
February 7, 2010
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Noah Brier | Thanks for reading. | Don't fake the funk on a nasty dunk.