MEDIAN INCOME IN DC vs the rest of us.

The 'ruling class' must be compensated for its trouble....

PowerLine has much more, including this quote:

Washington doesn’t invent smartphones or build cars or record music — instead they invent rules and build bureaucracies and record regulations. The federal government’s key industry is siphoning money from 50 far-flung states and reallocating it to preferred interest groups (after taking an ample service charge, of course).

It's the service charge, stupid. Think of that 23% increase as a tip for 'services' rendered.