Sometimes a Congressman casts a vote that eventually puts money in his own purse. If he found someone else in government making a self-serving decision like that, the congressman would arch his brow, pound his fist and bellow. The cry of "conflict of interest" would resound against the walls. But no one, or at least hardly any one, arches, pounds, or bellows when the congressman casts his vote. There are 535 members of Congress. Of these, 315 are lawyers, some still allied with active, lucrative law firms representing a host of different clients. Thirty-three congressmen have some form of interest in banks, trust companies, or savings & loan associations. Twenty-three congressmen or their families have some sort of interest in radio or television stations. A handful of members are farmers, voting on farm legislation. Far more than a handful own stocks, sometimes in heavy amounts, in interests ranging from oil to soda water...

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