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Do you believe that politicians act in their own best interests? Do you believe that they’re likely to implement laws that help their aims rather than hurt them? What if you knew in which companies your politicians invested? How would that affect your own investments? Dave C. forwarded several links to opensecrets.org, which bills itself as “your guide to the money in U.S. elections”. This site is run by the Center for Responsive Politics:

The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy. The Center conducts computer-based research on campaign finance issues for the news media, academics, activists, and the public at large. The Center’s work is aimed at creating a more educated voter, an involved citizenry, and a more responsive government. Support for the Center comes from a combination of foundation grants and individual contributions. The Center accepts no contributions from businesses or labor unions.

Opensecrets.org features a wealth of information derived from public domain documents. For instance, it offers a peek into the personal finances of our national politicians with data about net worth and outside income. The site also reveals the most popular Congressional investments are:

I’m generally apolitical, and not much of a conspiracy theorist, but I’ll admit that seeing that 20% of our national politicians own General Electric makes me consider it for my own portfolio.