There was apparently a time when Americans briefly served in political office as a public service before returning to their jobs in the private sector. I say apparently because for much of my adult life that simply has not been the case.

In the stunning GIF below, which was created using data complied by the Brookings Institution, statistician David Mendoza tracks the occupations of sitting U.S. congressmen over the last half-century. What he found was that the whole concept of being a “career politician” is relatively new phenomenon.

The other part of the GIF that jumps out is that the number of military veterans serving in Congress has plummeted over the last few decades.

Lawyers continue to make up a good chunk of the U.S. House, and the number of businessmen serving in Congress has remained relatively steady over the years.

Congress’s approval rating last year dropped to the lowest level of any institution on record. Does this GIF give us any insight into why that may be? Is it time we got serious about term limits?

Let us know what you think in the comment section below, or by tweeting @YHPolitics.

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