This won't come as a surprise to many of you, but unless you are an bankster or a billionaire, you're not being represented in the United States Senate. According to a new study published in Political Research Quarterly, Senators in the last five Congresses have consistently voted to benefit their wealthy constituents. And, those votes virtually ignored the political will of everyone except those at the top.

The study's author, Thomas J. Hayes, wrote, “The fact that lower income groups seem to be ignored by elected officials, although not a new finding, remains a troubling observation in American politics.” Mr. Hayes used data from the National Annenberg Election Survey to compare the political opinions of constituents to the voting records of their senators in the last five Congresses, and discovered what he called “oligarchic tendencies” in the American [political] system.

During two of the Congresses, when Democrats were in charge, Hayes found that Senators did vote in accordance with middle-class constituents. But even then, the political will of low-income voters was virtually ignored. During Republican-controlled congresses, only the political opinions of the wealthy were represented.

Of course, there are a few Senators that constantly work to give low-income and middle class voters a voice in Congress, but the vast majority of our lawmakers ignore those of us who can't contribute huge sums to their campaigns. We've known it for some time, but now we have hard evidence to show how important it is to get money out of politics. If we ever want to be represented by our elected leaders, let's overturn Citizens United and return the power to the public masses – where it belongs.

-Thom

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Monday's Daily Stack

Hour One: Another reporter arrested for...reporting?!
- Matt Rothschild, The Progressive Magazine

Article: "Walker’s Cop Nabs Me for Being a Reporter" by Matt Rothschild.

Video: Walker's Capitol Police Arrest Teenager, Grannies, & Sitting Councilman for Being in Same Place.

Article: "Walker’s Cops Cuff Firefighter, Another Officer Dissents" by Matt Rothschild.

Article: "First Amendment to the United States Constitution".

The Big Picture
- Andrew Campbell, The Big Picture producer

Article: "Is Obamacare really being threatened? Here’s a handy guide" by Brian Beutler.

Article: "Is Living Apart Good for Marriage? For More Americans, Two Roofs May Be Better Than One" by Lynn Stuart Parramore.

Article: "NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds" by Barton Gellman.

Article: "Lawmakers Backed By Chamber Of Commerce Spending Stall Business Lobby's Legislative Priorities" by Sabrina Siddiqui, Paul Blumenthal.

Article: "Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan & Kevin McCarthy: Plot To Sabotage US Economy with Frank Luntz" by keepemhonest.

Article: "Dual citizenship may pose problem if Ted Cruz seeks presidency" by Todd J. Gillman.

Book: "Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives" by Robert Draper.

Article: "Hefty raises at DHHS raise question of qualifications" by Laura Leslie and Tyler Dukes.

Bible: "Matthew 25:31-46 (New International Version)".

Article: "Hillary Clinton mini-series planned for network TV" by AP.

Movie: "Hillary: The Movie".

Article: "Are Shoplifting and Parking Violations Less "Minuscule" Than NSA Privacy Violations? " by Thom Hartmann.

Article: "NSA labels 'errors leading to 1,000 privacy breaches in one year' as 'miniscule'" by ANI.

Article: "Glenn Greenwald: detaining my partner was a failed attempt at intimidation" by Glenn Greenwald.

Site: Move to Amend

Article: "19th Amendment "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."

The good: Chris Christi: "NJ Governor Signs Ban on Gay Conversion Therapy" by Angela Delli Santi.

The bad: "Michael Grunwald, Time Magazine Reporter, Sends Out Shocking Tweet About Julian Assange " by Braden Goyette.

The very, very ugly: Greg Abbott: "" by Hunter.

Article: "Modern-day Robin Hood applies business skills to philanthropy" by 60 Minutes.

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Victoria Jones

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Article: "TRNS News Notes – Monday 8/19" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "TRNS News Notes – Tuesday 8/20" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "U.S. Received “Heads Up” About Greenwald’s Partner" by Geoff Holtzman.

Article: "Bradley Manning sentence: Judge deliberating; U.S. wants 60 years" by Paul Courson.

Article: "Climate change should be considered in post-Sandy rebuilding, says task force" by Zack Colman.

Article: "Should Flavored Cigars Be Banned? Sen. Blumenthal Thinks So" by Aaron Boyd.

Hour Three: What you need to know about Obamacare
- Wendell Potter, Deadly Spin

Book: "Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans" by Wendell Potter.

Article: "The Health Care Law & You" by healthcare.gov.

Law: "Full Text of the Affordable Care Act", 2010.

Article: "The Affordable Care Act: What’s Changing and When" by healthcare.gov.

Article: "2012 HHS Poverty Guidelines".

Article: "How can I get an estimate of costs and savings on Marketplace health insurance?" (Kaiser calculator).

Article: "Kinder: Right To Work Likely To Go To Missouri Ballot" by AP.

Article: "‘Right To Work’: The wrong answer for Michigan’s economy" by Gordon Lafer.

Article: "Illinois expands background checks to all gun purchases" by Reuters.

Article: "New cell technique could lead to repairs in damaged DNA" by Mark Johnson.

Article: "Virginia Road Sign Tells Drivers Not To Hit Car In Front Of Them" by UPI.

Hour One: Rep. Kucinich calls for a parade for Snowden
- Congressman Dennis Kucinich

Hour Three: Why can't businesses ban customers with guns?
- Neil W. McCabe, Guns & Patriots Newsletter

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