Over at the The Washington Post, Annie Lowry imagines various other ways Senate representation could work:
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.
To get a sense of how that would work, check out the chart below. The lowest four income groups would have 20 senators each. The people in the 80th to 90th percentiles would have ten senators. There would be five senators for those in the 90th to 95th percentiles, four for those in the 95th to the 99th percentile, and one senator for the richest group at the far right.
How would this change the kinds of policies Senators advocate for? I’m not sure it’d be good for climate change legislation but it might make health care reform easier.Thanks, Gordon.
