Do I matter?

     Many Americans find themselves asking this when discussing politics with others specifically with regards to Congress. Consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives our Congress takes on the challenge of solving our nation's problems by generating laws. They are meant to "refine and enhance" public opinion. But to do that [enhance public opinion] wouldn't they first need to be representative of our nation? How can Congress know the wishes and needs of America if some American voices aren't being heard?

     There are 432 members in our House of Representatives and 100 in the Senate. According to the demographics found on Roll Call both houses are roughly 80% male yet according to the U.S. demographics in 2012 our nation was 50.8% female. Assuming a plague hasn't wiped out most of America's female population between then and now; women are grossly underrepresented with about 17.82% in the House of Representatives and 20% in our Congress. But the gender difference isn't the only way Congress misrepresents our diverse nation.

     Using the 2012 estimates again we can see how one-sided our Congress appears in accordance to race. The U.S. population estimate for 2012 was 313,873,685; out of them about 63% were white (not Hispanic/Latino) while our current House of Representatives is almost 82% white and our Congress an overwhelming 94%! African Americans consisted of about 13% of the U.S. population in 2012 while only having about 9% representation in the House of Representatives and a measly 2% in the Senate. Hispanics made up almost 17% of the population yet only consist around 6.5% of the House of Representatives and 3% of the Senate. The Asian population made up about 5% of the population and less than 2% of the House of Representatives and only 1% of the Senate, meaning 1 senator represents approximately 16,007,560 people. Pacific Islanders were found in about 0.2% of the population and are probably the most accurately represented in the House of Representatives at 0.23% yet have no senators to speak of. While the American Indian population was six times more than Pacific Islander's they share the same amount of representation in Congress. With numbers like these is our House of Representatives truly living up to its name? And are all American voices being heard in the Senate? Can we trust that these men and women honestly have America's best interest in mind when making the laws that govern our country? Interestingly enough, the women in the House of Representatives most accurately represent the diversity of America. This more representative House shows a better "snapshot" of our nation as it were with about 63% white, almost 17% African American, almost 12% Hispanic, around 6.5% Asian, and about 1% Pacific Islander.

     It's amusing to see how women are so exceptionally misrepresented in our Congress yet do a much better job of representing our nation as a whole in the House of Representatives. But the bigger question we need to be asking is does is it matter? Why can't our pale, male, and stale Congress do as good a job governing our nation as one that is truly 100% representative of our country? Why should these numbers matter? Do race and gender affect the decisions Congress makes? Are all American voices being heard? As an Asian male, is my voice being heard, do I matter? Yes I matter, but I why can't a white congresswoman represent me and act in my best interest. Maybe the answer is that I simply don't matter, in the grand scheme of things what may be best for me may not be best for the nation. I may matter as a person but if our Congress is worried about one person or even a handful of people and isn't thinking about the good of the whole of the nation then they aren't doing the job we, the general public, entrusted them with. Of course a white congresswoman would lead a very different life than I do with very different experiences but that shouldn't stop her from acting in my best interest. We have given all of our Congressmen and Congresswomen and important task: generating laws governing our country, and we need to trust that they will make the best decision for the good of our diverse nation, however underrepresented the different races seem to be. And should we find they are unable to, we must fulfill our duty as a citizen and vote those who are capable refining and enhancing the public opinion of America to advance our nation.