The nice thing about the Internet is that data for almost anything can be found. One of my hobbies is playing with the data to see if anything interesting pops up.

An interesting set of data I found is how long each member of Congress has served, from the first Congress in 1789 up through the 109th Congress that ended in 2007. Data can be found at the website http:/ /bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp.

Using this information I was able to determine how long each member has been in Congress in either the House of Representatives or Senate. Those numbers can be used to determine the maximum and average times spent in Congress.

For the first 100 years of our country, members of Congress spent an average of less than six years in attendance. Since 1900, the average number of years spent in Congress has been on the increase. It does appear to have leveled off some in the last 25 years. This may be due to the fact that the current members could still make the average go higher if they stay in Congress beyond the 109th session.

The data can be used to plot the maximum number of years spent in both houses, which is shown below.

This chart appears to give a hint of three time periods since the birth of our country. Each period is noted by average values that hold steady during a period. The first period is generally from the beginning of our country until 1900. The second period is from 1900 to about 1960. The third period is from 1960 to today. Each period exhibits a higher maximum number of years spent in Congress than the previous period. Once again, keep in mind that the last numbers may incrsae as current members stay in their posts.

The reasons for the three periods are unclear. One guess for the last increase may be that TV started to be used extensively in political races around 1960. The second period may have been influenced by radio, which became widespread in use during that time.

After World War II, television and communication in general became even more pervasive throughout the United States. Election coverage throughout a state could be more complete than ever before. Name recognition and sound bites became more important in convincing the electorate to vote for a candidate.

Another possible fact is that prior to 1913, with the passage of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, each member of the Senate was elected by the legislature of the state they represented. This method would reduce the possibility of senators being voted in purely by a popularity contest.

It has always been my understanding that the founding fathers meant service in Congress to be a duty, something that had to be done, but most sane people would forego it as soon as possible. People had lives to live but would donate some of their time to working in the government. The hope was to serve and then return to their original career. Congressional service appears to have become something to strive for. It is now a place where an entire lifetime or career can be spent.

Congress today seems to have become a life separate from the way most Americans live. Separate groups tend not to understand the problems of other groups, especially if the separate group is elite and able to set its own rules. Perhaps it is time to repeal the 17th Amendment and get some true hard-working Americans into the Senate where they will serve their appointed time and then go back to their daily lives. But with all those career politicians in office, there is no way that kind of change will be made; it would put them all out of a job.

An interesting note on the maximum number of years is that, since 1950, representatives spend more time in office than senators. Prior to that year, each house shows similar maximum times.

Mark Eltgroth

Lometa