Do you think there should be more protection for the lives of members of congress than everyone else?

[RB TexLa]

[Angry Dragon]

1. They have helped create the problem

[Cirque du So-What]

2. The lives of members of Congress are no more valuable than the lives of anyone else

but they are 'high-value targets' in the eyes of those who believe political assassination is a valid scheme to accomplish their goals. Besides, I want our reps & senators to be accessible to their constituents - not sequestered behind plexiglas or otherwise isolated.

[Autumn]

3. No, if they want to pay for it out of their pocket

that's fine. Their lives are no more important than any other person. They already get too many fucking perks.

[SheilaT]

4. More to the point, what happened in

Tucson was an aberration. Maybe Loughner was inspired by the hate rhetoric coming from the right. Even if that's what set him off, how many thousands, maybe millions, are listening to Beck and Palin and Limbaugh and all the rest, and most of them are not buying guns and 30 round ammunition clips and going off shooting anyone.

Another thing is that Representatives and Senators need to stay as close to the people they represent as possible, and heavy-duty protection would eliminate that. They're pretty isolated as it is.