Can Your Member of Congress Balance a Checkbook?

No seriously. You should ask.

I’ve often joked that people end up in politics or media because they can’t do math (yours truly included), but at the moment my joke is not looking like such a laughing matter. Though much of the coverage of the #debtceiling debacle has focused on the political divisions it has reinforced, there appears to be at least one thing that this mess has probably helped Americans agree on: Many of our elected officials know a lot less about finance and economics than those responsible for the financial future of an entire country should. Even more terrifying, many appear to know even less about such matters than we do. (If you have managed to do things like pay your taxes and child support in full and on time, you’re already well ahead of a few of them.) Both of the major political parties invest resources training promising candidates on the ins and outs of media interviews, fundraising and general politicking. But instead of investing in these types of classes and consultants, it appears that many of these candidates turned congressmen, would have been better served investing in, and enrolling in an entry level accounting class.