As for “representation”, I haven’t been represented for forever.
The Beltway is its own culture and (when legislators have been there as long as Barney Frank or Ted Kennedy) operates within its own hothouse atmosphere of deals & counter deals. Occasionally, our elected representatives peek out at the rest of the country (we are referred to as “average”* Americans or “little” Americans) and utter some mind numbing blather in order to get themselves re-upped for another 2, 4, 6 , whatever, years.
(*Barack Obama recently used the “average” descriptor and I am far less average than he.)
The…phenomenon…of government becoming about itself and we, the (little) people existing to serve its agenda through taxation (taxes=the money government uses to supplement printing the stuff) is the overarching reason for Tea Party enthusiasm sweeping (yes sweeping) the country.
