The most underrepresented class in Congress

"Taxation without Representation" is singlehandedly the most used phrase in politics when criticizing institutions and politicians alike. It even underscores every license plate in Washington, D.C. And while certain demographics may come to mind when this phrase is thrown about – the most unrepresented class in congress is rarely mentioned.

I recently wrote an article and submitted a proposal to an online magazine – although I am unsure if they ever bothered to check it out; I've received no word back. Maybe I am simply being impatient. However, this piece meant alot to me – and I shall publish it soon enough with or without a major publications affirmation. This piece centered around how various publications hold a collective blindspot in reporting – and touching on the most underrepresented demographic between politics, media, institutions and conglomerations alike.

Can you guess what it is? Or, should I say – who they are?

If you mentioned people of color, immigrants, the alphabet community, or any other hot-button demographic that has individuals rioting in the streets over inflammatory & inaccurate media – you'd be wrong.

The most underrepresented class in nearly every facet contains 60% of the United States working population and is divided amongst all of these populations.

That population – is the working class.

And no – this doesn't include teachers, nor journalists, receptionists, government contractors, or even blue collar workers & entrepreneurs (necessarily). The true working class is the between 50 - 60% of Americans who do not have a "standard" four-year college degree. Likely because they were incapable of obtaining one whilst staying afloat in a collapsing economically-burdened society.

I recently read a book called "White Working Class" by Joan C. Williams. Published in 2017 (ten years ago?? Lord, have mercy..) it reflected on the various ways socioeconomic classes are divided within America. In chapter two, it opens with this:

She then describes the individuals above the lowest 30% of American earners yet below the top 20% as "middle-class". And adds that most individuals will simply refer to themselves as middle class regardless of the reality of their situation.

I think this example in the book is quite relevant regarding the lack of true representation the Working Class has in Washington, today.

Only about 2% of politicians currently holding office have ever existed in working-class conditions; and if you measure by how many lived in near-poverty conditions – that number drops closer to 0%.

We have millionaires in office creating policies for individuals whose lives they have never truly observed; let alone remotely understood.

During Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign – she visited a working class families apartment in East Harlem, NYC. Her expression spoke more than any speech she constructed beforehand – she was simply utterly appalled and visibly disgusted.

The utter irony behind these politicians brazenly campaigning on the backs of the working class is that – the working class is never truly considered nor heard. More often than not, they are simply ignored and suffer the brunt of well-intentioned yet poorly executed implementation of these policies.

I recently moved out of Vermont; which had the highest population decline out of all 50 states last year – despite being the second least populated state. Bernie Sanders and Becca Balint represent this dying economy and profess their concern and action regarding the working class within their state – all while letting them suffer.

The top 10% of Vermonters hold 45% of the total wealth contained within their sad, little state – of which, both Becca and Bernie's salaries are included. The remainder of the 10% includes other politicians (Justices of the SCOVT), and primarily top executives at Beta Technologies, UVM Medical Center, or other tech & medical based industries. Below that top 10% are the upper middle class making above $100k yet not exceeding $173k – school administrators & localized politicians being the primary dominating class here. Both Sanders & Balint earn a base salary of $174k per year.

Future articles will focus more on Vermonts economy that is collapsing from the inside out due to their gross negligence and refusal to acknowledge the cries of their own working class; however Balint & Sanders exemplify everything that is precisely wrong with politicians in the United States today.

They both virtue signal and claim to be warriors for the working class – yet entirely embody everything that keeps the working class exactly where they are. This is the game of politics.

While Sanders and Balint parade left-wing talking points at the height of Capitol Hill; they're ignoring the growing number of citizens suffering (or worse – dying) on the streets of Burlington every single day. They do not seem to care that there are homeless mothers & children being left to suffer in their own backyard due to astronomical rent & grocery prices. They do not care about the young men overdosing in tents nor the women getting repeatedly brutalized by their partners as a result of their terrible catch & release policies. Their answer to these issues is to continue enabling the crisis; rather than properly rehabilitating these individuals or enacting legislation to hold perpetrators accountable.

So while Becca Balint loves to post reels on social media claiming that she cares about "holding people accountable" and "combatting lawlessness" – she doesn't truly care about any of these virtues. She's simply portraying a facade to keep the country concerned with the intrapersonal politics so that they don't care enough to look closely and analyze the facade she purports to the public eye.

Both her – and Sanders exemplify what is wrong with modern-day politicians on Capitol Hill today.