Clark, I'm impressed you have enough time to put together such an expansive article, I figured you were on vacation somewhere. I'll add my thoughts.
While Representatives and Senators are paid more than the average American, none of them are "average" Americans. Almost every one of them has at minimum a Bachelor's Degree, and a majority of them have a higher degree. According to the Congressional Research Service: 225 have law degrees, 23 have PhD's, 19 are doctors, and 99 have a Master's Degree. There are several Rhodes, Fullbright, and Marshall scholars in their ranks. I feel safe in claiming that they are making salaries that are comparable to what they would make in their non-government positions.
As for the "vacation days" you pointed out. Congress is in session for 137 days out of the year. That is 137 days they are on C-Span. The rest of those days they are reading reports, writing bills, sitting in briefings, visiting constituents, hosting dignitaries, and everything else associated with their job. I know at least 1 politician who sometimes sleeps on his couch some nights, because they don't have time to go home. So, just because they aren't in session, that doesn't mean they aren't working.
They also have one of the least stable jobs in all of America. Every few years a Congressman may lose his position for any number of reasons. They may have performed poorly, and lost in an election. Or they may have performed well, but be associated with the political party of a poorly performing President, who in turn drug down all their party vote totals. Their state may have lost a district in re-districting.
As for the travel, a large portion of their job involves decisions that have a large impact on other nations. A congressmen may become more well informed about a situation if they can go visit themselves, and their position as a US Official may give them access to areas and people that many others do not have. A congressman, Leo Ryan, gave his life on one of these "fact finding" trips, but his death helped lead to the uncovering of the Jonestown massacre.
I do agree generally with many of the things posted, but the overall cost of what "you" have listed is a drop in the bucket compared to the current state of the national debt.
On a final point, you really should acknowledge the author. He clearly spent a lot of time and effort writing this. If you are indeed Brian Reed, then I enjoyed your article and I hope you enjoy your travels (also, I apologize for exposing your identity).
