Q: I believe I saw that there are 237 millionaire congressmen in office today. Is this true?
— Martin Vaeth Sr., Walnut Grove
A: The information was from the Center for Responsive Politics, which recently updated its report from 237 millionaires to 238 millionaires in Congress. The Washington-based research group found that 50 members of Congress boast at least $10 million in estimated wealth. Its data found senators had a median reportable worth of $1.79 million for 2008. The analysis found that Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) had the top average wealth of all members of Congress, with $251 million. The center noted that congressional members report their assets in ranges and federal financial disclosures don’t require the reporting of assets such as personal residences. The center determines the minimum and maximum possible asset values for each member of Congress to calculate a member’s average estimated wealth.
Q: How is normal rainfall calculated?
— Dick Ryan, Suwanee
A: It is based on rainfall records over the past 30 years, said Glenn Burns, chief meteorologist for WSB-TV. State climatologist David Emory Stooksbury, an associate professor at the University of Georgia, said the normals for temperature and precipitation are recalculated every 10 years. The 1971-2000 normals are being used now, and after 2010, the normals will be recalculated using 1981-2010 data.
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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