It’s not a Presidential election year, so the missed votes in Congress aren’t as bad as they might be. But the Washington Post has a nice database on our employees, the United States Congress, and among much information are the votes missed in this Congress.

Here are the ten worst, cheating you and me out of our hard earned money paid in taxes:

1. Lane Evans, IL-17, Dem, 38.7%
2. Jim Davis, FL-11, Dem, 23.2%
3. Ernest Istook, OK-5, Rep, 15.8%
4. Donald Payne, NJ-10, Dem, 15.3%
5. Ted Strickland, OH-6, Dem, 15.0%
6. Harold Ford, TN-9, Dem, 14.9%
7. Luis Gutiérrez, IL-4, Dem, 14.8%
8. John Sweeney, NY-20, Rep, 14.2%
9. Juanita Millender-McDonald, CA-37, Dem, 13.4%
10. Leonard Boswell, IA-3, Dem, 13.3%

This is a list of thieves, a Hall of Shame. These folks took your tax dollars and did not show up for work.

CITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE have a scorecard for pork providers. Curious as to how these ten losers ranked as pork providers? The lower the number the bigger the porker.

1. Lane Evans, IL-17, Dem, 6%
2. Jim Davis, FL-11, Dem, 7%
3. Ernest Istook, OK-5, Rep, 81%
4. Donald Payne, NJ-10, Dem, 6%
5. Ted Strickland, OH-6, Dem, 9%
6. Harold Ford, TN-9, Dem, 15%
7. Luis Gutiérrez, IL-4, Dem, 9%
8. John Sweeney, NY-20, Rep, 71%
9. Juanita Millender-McDonald, CA-37, Dem, 10%
10. Leonard Boswell, IA-3, Dem, 8%

Curiously, of the ten Congressmen/women who missed the most votes in Congress, only two bothered to vote in favor of the taxpayers, their bosses, a majority of the time they bothered to vote. The other eight were among the lowest ranked members of Congress.

Layne Evans has been ill this year, dying of Parkinson’s Disease. He is supposed to be retiring at the end of this term. A court is appointing a guardian for him, which suggests that he should have retired long since.

Jim Davis is running for Governor of Florida, on the taxpayers’ dime. Instead of serving in Congress, he’s home, politicking for yet another taxpayer financed office. He should be turned down by the voters.

Istook is doing the same thing in his home state of Oklahoma. He’s running for Governor while being paid as a Congressman. Do the people of Oklahoma really want their pockets picked like this?

Ted Strickland is also running for Governor, in Ohio, while sucking down the gravy as a Congressman. Doing his job appears to be a low priority with him.

Harold Ford is running for the Senate in Tennessee, while serving poorly as one of its Congressmen. His relatives and their attraction to the wrong side of law enforcement combine with his poor work ethic to make him an unattractive choice for the Volunteer State.

Does it make you angry to see Congressmen dodging their duties, and when they make it to a vote, voting to hurt you, their boss? It makes me angry. How about reversing the norm, and sending a bunch of these losers home instead of re-electing them or sending them to another taxpayer funded office? If all ten of these folks were returned to private life, it would be a good start at cleaning up Congress.

See also this analysis from the Presidential runs in 2003.