Q&A on the News
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
Q: What is the ratio of the members of Congress who have served in military?
— Eldridge Holland, Atlanta
A: The 112th Congress included 118 military veterans (21.8 percent of the total membership when it began in 2011), according to a Congressional Research Service report. That's two less than at the end of the 111th Congress and eight fewer than in the 110th Congress. There are 92 veterans in the House of Representatives and 26 in the Senate, and they have served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo. Three representatives and two senators are currently in the reserves, and three representatives and one senator are in the National Guard. The number of veterans in Congress has been on a steady decline the past four decades. There were 398 veterans in the 91st Congress (1969-71) and 298 veterans in the 96th Congress (1979-81), according to the report.
Q: Is Hurricane Isaac affecting our oil prices and making gas go up in the Atlanta area? If so, why?
— Rick Brewer, Smyrna
A: The storm, which hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 28, affected production or shut down several refineries in the area, creating a spike in the cost of gas. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported this week that the cost of regular gasoline rose 6 cents to a national average of $3.84 a gallon. That also was the average price of gas in Georgia last week, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report.
