White-Collar Government

"Eight of the last twelve presidents were millionaires when they took office. Millionaires also make up majorities on the Supreme Court and in Congress, where the average member has spent less than two percent of his or her adult life in a working-class job. Why is it that most politicians in America are so much better off than the people who elect them--and does the social class divide between citizens and their representatives matter? With White-Collar Government, Nicholas Carnes answers this question with a resounding--and disturbing--yes"--Page 4 of cover.