How Much Do Congressmen Make?
84Some of The Political Players And Their Jets
"You Work For Us!"
By Don White
In a recent Hub blog entitled “Why Don’t Democrats Stop Lying To Us,” I suggested that the lowest paid Congressman who makes $174,000 per year could retire with retirement benefits of the same amount per year, and if he lived ten years after leaving Congress that would total $1.74 million.
That’s not quite correct.
Members of Congress are not eligible for a full pension until they reach age 50, but only if they've completed 20 years of service. Members are eligible at any age after completing 25 years of service or after they reach the age of 62. This retirement program is part of the problem in America today and I’ll explain why later.
Congressmen must serve at least 5 years to receive even a reduced pension. That’s an incentive for them to stay on and build a legacy of mismanagement and fraud.
The amount of a congressperson's pension depends on the years of service and the average of the highest 3 years of his or her salary, but it can’t exceed 80 percent of final salary.
Assuming the salary remained at the same level as in 2009 and they stayed in Congress 20 years, the annual retirement benefit would be .8 X $174,000 or $139, 200 per year. In what other jobs can they duplicate that retirement plan?
For computation purposes, annual salary is the average of the three highest years’ salary.
In 1989, Congress passed an amendment allowing for automatic raises, unless lawmakers specifically voted to reject it. Which Congress did until 2000 when Republicans were in charge. So don’t give me that garbage about Demos versus the GOP. My gripe is with liberal politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, who have almost ruined this country.
Despite their self-avowed “abject poverty,” Congressmen can fly around in government luxury jets from a fleet of 24 jets our government keeps for them and other government personnel. They’re getting plenty of flack for appropriating an additional half a billion dollars to replace four of those planes during the recession. The people are rightly upset at them.
The fiscal year 2004 Transportation and Treasury Department Appropriations bill included Congress' 2.2 percent pay raise, along with a 4.1 percent raise for federal workers and military personnel.
In 2004 Tom Schatz, president of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, said in a press release that "Members of Congress have the only job in the country whose occupants can set their own salary without regard to performance, profit, or economic climate. Clearly, members must think that money grows on trees. With a $480 billion deficit, the escalating cost of the war in Iraq, and a stagnant economy, Congress should be curbing spending, not lining their pockets at our expense." Republican liberals who controlled Congress should have taken his advice.
"This undeserved pay raise is no surprise, as the 108th Congress has shown a voracious appetite for spending," Schatz concluded. "It goes to show how out of touch with reality politicians can be. They forget that their salaries are paid by taxpayers. Americans are being forced to tighten their belts—if they even have a job—yet members of Congress will have an extra $3,400 to do with as they please."
Since 1990, congressional pay has increased from $98,400 to $154,700 in 2003. That was a $56,300 jump, a 57 percent increase in only 13 years. An ever-increasingly liberal Congress raised their salaries another twenty thousand dollars. Where does it end?
From 1789 to 1815, members of Congress received only a per diem (daily payment) of $6.00 while in session. Members began receiving an annual salary in 1815, when they were paid $1,500 per year.
House and Senate Leaders are paid more than rank-and-file members.
Both the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, and Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, get $193,400. The Speaker of the House, Nancy Palosi, gets $223,500 and a jet airplane. President Obama makes $400,000 per year plus expenses.
A cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) increase takes effect annually unless Congress votes to not accept it.
Benefits Paid to Members of Congress
You may have read that Members of Congress do not pay into Social Security, but that is incorrect.
Prior to 1984, neither Members of Congress nor any other federal civil service employee paid Social Security taxes. They were also not eligible to receive Social Security benefits.
Members of Congress and other federal employees were instead covered by a separate pension plan called the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The 1983 amendments to the Social Security Act required federal employees first hired after 1983 to participate in Social Security. These amendments also required all Members of Congress to participate in Social Security as of January 1, 1984, regardless of when they first entered Congress.
Because the CSRS was not designed to coordinate with Social Security, Congress directed the development of a new retirement plan for federal workers. The result was the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act of 1986.
Members of Congress receive retirement and health benefits under the same plans available to other federal employees. They become partially vested after five years of full participation. How fair is it to allow federal employees such lavish retirement and health benefits while the “proletariat” rank and file taxpayer takes the low, rationed health benefits Obama has in mind for us and unrealistically low and unfunded Social Security pension benefits that no one in Washington dare address?
Congressional retirement is funded through taxes and the participants' contributions, as is the case for all other federal employees. Members of Congress under the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) contribute 1.3 percent of their salary into the FERS retirement plan and pay 6.2 percent of their salary in Social Security taxes.
In my article, I contended that Congressmen, presidents, and all federal employees should be on the same low-ball retirement plan as all Americans and receive only Social Security Retirement benefits that you and I get averaging from about $900 to $1200 a month.
I wish Representative Alan Grayson had let me ask a question
on his District 8 Florida teleconference, which he claimed was heard by
thousands. This was what I wanted to ask:
“Would you sponsor an amendment to make retirement and health
benefits you get as a Congressman equal with the taxpayers’?” His face
would not have gone red because he’s a charlaton, a fraud, and his silver
tongue would have answered that that was not a good idea and he would not go
along with it. I’ll save the question for another day when I can corner him in
person and watch him squirm or try to brush me off. But Sunday, the "Sixty-Four-Thousand Question" was asked of President Obama. See my hub of that name and title also filed today.
The problem with teleconferences is you can’t properly communicate. Experts tell us that 90 percent of communication is not in the words you say, but in facial expressions, subtleties, emphasis, and eye contact. Teleconferences are communication-lite.
The Congressional Research Service lists the following:
· 413 retired Members of Congress were receiving federal pensions based fully or in part on their congressional service as of Oct. 1, 2006.
· Of this number, 290 had retired under CSRS and were receiving an average annual pension of $60,972.
· A total of 123 Members had retired with service under both CSRS and FERS or with service under FERS only. Their average annual pension was $35,952 in 2006.
This, according to Progressive U.Org, in a 2006 article entitled “How Much Do Congressmen Make. How About their Staffers.”
That obsequious little intern named Tyler, a man who lied to me about Congressman Grayson’s live town halls to keep me out, could be making only $15,000 a year, which is poverty level. No wonder he sucks up to his boss, even to the extent of echoing his lies. He probably went to school for four years and got a poly-sci degree, hoping to run for Congress someday and make the really big bucks.
I've got news for him. We're going to change the laws on him, set term limits for Congress, and make it so ordinary and honest that only true patriots, real people from the conservative sector who don't expect to get rich serving their country, will attempt to get elected to Congress. By not allowing them to serve for more than four years (two, two-year terms for Congress and 12 years for Senators, two six-year terms), we will entirely take the incentive away from people like the Pelosis, Franks, Schumers, and Harry Reids...Likewise, I could mention 40 Republicans who thrive on longevity, earmarks, under table deals and exactly what makes Washington stink on ice today, fraud, high cost of campaigns making it difficult to oust them, and their mini-kingdoms..
Today's congressmen are not too concerned with what they consider their current “meager” salary and bennies. They can live on $174,000 for a while, which with the COLA could be twice that in twenty years. But their goal is to work long enough to get a “decent” retirement, then when their kids need huge chunks of money for college, many of them will go to work as silver-tongue Washington lobbyists who in 2009 made about $300,000 per year.
They will be just right for the job
By then they would have honed their knowledge, speaking ability, emotions, histrionics, facial movements, and “silver tongue” to the point where not only they, but their constituents, can’t tell the difference between a lie and the truth.
Congressional retirement is funded through taxes and the participants' contributions, as is the case for all other federal employees. Members of Congress under FERS contribute 1.3 percent of their salary into the FERS retirement plan and pay 6.2 percent of their salary in Social Security taxes.
Full Pensions at Age 50
Members of Congress are not eligible for a full pension until they reach the age of 50, but only if they've completed 20 years of service. I’m sure this is one reason none of them would agree to term limits which must come if we are ever to return this country to the citizen lawmaker creed that the Founders envisioned as a check against the sick political process we have today.
Washington is sick and broken
Symptoms of that sickness include the outrageously high cost of running for office, the inordinately long campaign season, high Congressional spending and Washington’s disregard for taxpayer money. Something must be done to eliminate the number and influence of lobbyists who have more of Washington’s ear than we, the people, and the miasma of a sick Capitol, a disease that is so contagious that if a politician isn’t corrupt before he is elected, he surely will be after on both sides of the isle.
Finally, one must ask why all of them have visions of
grandeur? Why do they constantly aggrandize themselves at our expense? Are they evil, have we been asleep?
Why presidential and Congressional offices have morphed from that of public servant to that of Master Mahem, with the symptoms more obvious to everyone outside of Washington than to those who work there? Why do we need to put up with scandalous voter election fraud, cheating, and the dynastic kingdoms senators and representatives construct around them?
Most importantly, we need “Real Change” in Washington.
We must eliminate the constant rewriting of history leading to unpatriotic and one-world feelings and the destruction of our basic values, our flag, Constitution, and the principles set forth by our Founders. Yes, we must clean house every two terms or more often if we want to save this great and magnificent capitalistic country.
Even Congress’ retirement plan works against the more honest
concept of limiting service to two terms. Congressmen must currently serve at least 5
years to even receive a reduced pension, so to be successful we must
eliminate retirement as a benefit, or at least most of it in most cases because they won't be around long enough to qualify for it and to enjoy government retirement. They will again become citizen statesmen, citizen lawmakers -- is it understood? This must come about to save our country.
When kids enter college, political science won't be a profession for them to choose from. The career of "Lawmaker" will no longer be an option as a career. Young people must become good at some other discipline, some other profession or job at which they can work for 12 to 40 years and earn a normal retirement. Normal jobs like doctors, lawyers, undertakers, dentists, pharmacists, plumbers, businessmen, mechanics, scientists. Some citizen lawmakers may take a four-year sabbatical from their usual work to go to Washington for a set period of time and represent the people, or at least to campaign for such a diversion which by then will become honest, noble, upstanding work -- something
Why this drastic change is needed:
If you had a servant who came into your home, started looking at your bankbook, lusting after your precious things, demanding more money, better benefits than you could afford for yourself, higher pay than you lived on or could afford – so high, in fact, that you had to go into debt to keep him, before long you would have had enough. You would feel your body filling with anger and disgust -- an antipathy most Americans feel today. You would thrust back your arms impatiently, your face glowing in disgust, your voice becoming several decibles louder and more menacing, and you would kick him out of your house onto the street.
The White House and Congress are the houses of the people. Those defiling our Washington parliamentary houses must go and we must replace them with less disgusting, less demanding servants because our lawmakers have lost perspective. Today, they feel they are the masters and we their servants, ever feeding them with tax money. IT'S GOT TO STOP NOW.
That may sound to you ridiculous. Have we really let things get that far out of hand? Yes, we have, and we must make an about-turn or face extinction as a free country. That’s exactly where we find ourselves today in our master-servant relationship with Washington, and thinking Americans are saying, “Enough is enough!
YOU WORK FOR US! Is the chant seniors and others have
shouted at town hall meetings, and they are entirely justified. You and they own this country. It's about time to dress down our servants, to put them in their rightful place.
Why do seniors shout? Because they are outraged, they realize they’ve been lied to. Liberals are learning it is dangerous to awaken a sleeping giant, and if Obama and his kind have done anything, their mindless spending has attacked Americans at the very core of where they live, their pocketbooks.
Now that Americans have been rudely aroused, they are mad. No, mad as hell!!!
Since liberals lie to them, they now see their only solution and redress is to kick them all out onto the street and start over again, promising never to keep a servant for more than one or two terms.
In our case, long political tenure is the evil carrot leading to more wasteful spending, more pay and benefits for liberals, more selfish greed, unconstitutional acts of malice toward us, sinful earmarks, buying of votes, and more two-faced lying and wasteful fraud while America and its values go sailing down the toilet into oblivion.
Americans demand real change this time. It's time we said, "down with liberal tyranny! Down with rampant spending and this insane One World concept that breeds illegitimate Global Warming fears. Unfounded fears that are costing us dearly and benefiting the propagators of this fear, people like Al Gore.
"Thanks, Mr. Obama and you other despicable liberals. Thanks for waking us from our stupor, our slumber."
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They make beyond "way too much money"! It is ridiculous, especially after as you rightfully say they get to fly around in "luxury government jet airliners". Were they not supposed to be "serving the people"? It seems as if the people are "serving" them ...
Mr. Happy and Eovery: excellent comments. I'm more and more impressed with the idea that ordinary people, honest people, could do a far better job in Washington than these so-called professional slickster politicians that we have. Don
I like your article in general, but please do not put civil service employees in the same category as politicians. I am a retired federal worked and get tired of people thinking we make tons of money. I retired under the old retirement system and as far as I can tell people on social security get more or at least as much as I do, plus their spouses would get benefits. The current system, which I regret I didn't opt in to is based on SS with a small pension but some matching fund to the thrift savings plan which we did not get. Congress can set it's own salary, we cannot.
Thanks, Dahoglund. That puts things in perspective. Yes, I agree, there is a vast difference in what civil servants and politicians make and the differences are great. You're right, Congress is the only employee that seems to be able to set their own salary.That is a weakness in the system, in my opinion. It tends toward tyranny. Don White
Good job mate-enjoyed the read.
Ben Franklin raised this issue back in the days where real patriots served their country. Men with Honor-integrity-humble men. Those days are (for the most part) gone.
"There are two passions which have a powerful influence in the affairs of men. These are ambitions and avarice;the love of power and the love of money. Separately, each of these has great force in prompting men to action; but when united in view of the same object, they have in many minds the most violent effects. PLace before the eyes of such men a post of honor, that shall at the same time be a place of profit, and they will move heaven and earth to obtain it."-Franklin
wisdom.
o and im taking political science after I get out of the Air Force-haha Im only 19. But I at least plan on attending Law School....so im not a complete bum.
The whole system is corrupt. From political nominations-to actuall presidency-- Special intrest bureaucrat politicians rising to the top-is a major contributer to the death of this country. Its sad really.
Part of me believes that term limmits is a good thing-on the other hand-its not American. Its unconstitutional. Thats what I plan on studying (Constitutional Law) As a die hard conservative/libertarian. I cannot find justification for Term limits. That goes against the whole Idea of a Democratic/Republic Nation. GRANTED-There is corruption from the bottom up in the whole process. I do understand why many people favor the idea of term limits.
I think the political process should be changed. It shouldnt be about who has deeper pockets/better connections. It shouldnt be about campaigning. There should be stricter rules on it. It needs to be reformed....O how i hate that word...takes on new meaning these days...
Some day I will be running for some sort of office. Not For fame or publicity. Not for money nor benefits. But for Honor. And service. Just like the Military. Its an Honarable service to your county/state/country. Hopefully one day we will be able to restore that inside washington.
Thanks, Ryan, for two great sets of comments. I agree with almost every comment, except term limits. I don't happen to believe it is unconstitutional. Why should one man be so arrogant to believe that he can be in office for 30 years without becoming corrupt by the system. That's what's wrong with staying too long. Washington is an automatic corruption machine. If not corrupt before, they come out of D.C, corrupt. My idea is to give them a nudge, and get rid of Congressmen - just as we do with presidents - after two terms. Thanks for those very special ideas and good luck to you in coming out of the military service and going to law school. Thanks very much for your unselfish service to help defend this nation. I would vote for you if you were in my Florida district. Don White
Don
You did an excellent job on this one as usual.
The easy retirement for Congressman is ridiculous.
On term limits, if they can't get it right in one term, why give them more terms. Give them termination instead.
It's unbelievable. The hard working American keeps America running and we don't get what we deserve in our retirement. It seems no matter what we do or who we vote for it's still the same in the end. Or should I say we get it 'in the end'.
I'm a hard working American, who just got a 30 cents per hour raise at a job I'm thrilled to have right now. Shame shame shame on them for taking our money and our dignity in so many matters. Remember "we the people"
Who are you? Why not the government as a whole?
Thank you. If there is a way to get this out to the American people in large numbers, I would be all for it. Of course the govt would probably find a way to make sure we'd disappear, probably somewhere in Guantanamo Bay. If I get fired or loose my job, it's the unemployment line..like every other American. Maybe that's it...our govt isn't really made of Americans who want to have the honor of serving their countrymen. But we all know the almighty $$ gets all the benefits. Our vets and seniors get No COLA raises, retirement at 70 if you don't have enough "points", or earlier if you can handle living in poverty. I'm fed up with these liars,cheating scoundrel
Really good info. After being forced into retirement due to the economy, one year early from full retirement age,
I feel that these politicians should face what the public must endure.....Medicare and regular soc sec benefits. Let's see what they can live on.
I AGREE WITH ALL OF IT . I THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE TO LIVE OFF WORKING PEOPLES PAY OR DISABILTY OR SS AS THE NORMAL PERSON DOES, JUST TO PROVE THAT THEY COULD EVEN BUY GROCERYS, MUCH LESS UTILTYS AND RENT, OH WELL THERE GOES THE LIMOS AND FREE JETS,DONT FOGET NO LOBBIST PAY OFFS NO SPEAKING EXTRA PAY NO DRIVERS FOR THEM NO LATE NIGHT DEALS AND NO THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS GOLF MEMBERSHIP
You also forget to mention that most of these people are pretty well off when they come into office, and they make more in what they get from Lobbyists and campaign contributions, and all the other perks (trips, limos, high priced prostitutes, etc...) Why else would you spend the kind of money they do to get in and stay in office? It's obvious it's not to help the people.
I do believe there is so much to be done and agree with many of the comments in this article. It isn't about liberals or conservatives it's about crooks which include politicians, many companies, and many talk show hosts. Here are some questions for readers: Do you have to pay taxes on gifts your receive? Can you keep your job with sub par performance? Can you exempt yourself from laws you don't like? On the tax scam argued by tax politicians and talk show hosts I have just one question: What % of tax did Americans making over $500,000 pay on their gross income? If you think those high paid talk show hosts liberal or conservative and millionaires paid 38% taxes on those big salaries think again. Remember loop holes that defer income from gross to avoid taxes is still spendable money in most cases, but most of us don't make enough to have loop holes to exempt large parts of our spendable income to lower our taxes. It's like the talk show hosts who tells you to buy gold but never tell you what % of there port folio averaged in gold over the past 2 year. Go figure. Talk show hosts in general and politicians have a common bond deception. I'm all for business on a level playing field if you're good at what you do you don't need an unfair advantage over the competition. We are a silent majority that needs to rise up for change. Have a wonderful life, be blessed in all you do, live your dreams with gusto, and prosper on a level and competitive playing field.
george
I AGREE WITH EVERY ONE THAT SAID THESE GREEDY GREEDY DEEP POCKET GINKS. ARE PAYED. THEIR TALKING ABOUT SAVEING MONEY. THAN CUT THEIR PAY IN HALF.THEY ARE NOT WORTH WHAT THEY ARE MAKEING NOW.THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT WOULD DO AN UNEST JOB FOR HALF OF WHAT THEIR PAYED. WASHINGTON OPEN YOUR EYES GET RID OF THE THIEFS.THEY ARE DISTROYING OUR COUNTRY. ALSO TO MUCH OF OUR MONEY IS GOING TO FORN AID. THIS IS WHERE THE POLITICANS CAN FIND IT EASY TO DO DO WHAT THEY DO BEST STEEL THE WORKING STIFFS TAX DOLLARS. ANY POLITICAN THAT HAS BEEN IN OFFICE FOR 10 YEARS GET RID OF THEM THEIR NOT WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE THEIR WORKING FOR WHAT THEY CAN STEEL FROM US THE TRUE AMERICAN. VOTE THESE JERKS OUT. ITS TIME TO WAKE UP. LETS TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY.
Why don"t congress cut there pay salary by half or even. The lawmakers really don"t work that hard at what they do we all have seen it on tv. It's ethier a ya or nay vote. How hard can they be. But they want to cut everybody elses pay and not theres. This BILL THE RIGHT TO WORK is already in effect and it works fine for people who want to work. But why cut the union out there the ones helping us keep our jobs. If it wasn"t for the unoin they could fire employes anytime they like and where I work they would fire everyboby just so they could get mexicans and other illegals in there so can work for less. It sounds like thats what Mitch Danials wants too. So the goverment wants the poor poeple to get poorer and the rich ti get richer thats what it sounds like to me. By the way the company I work for brought in over 25 billion dallars last year thats after paying all the employes that works for them. So why cut the unoin out the unoin doesn't hurt the goverment. Thanks for reading Joe Boles
I shut down happens, stop paychecks and perks to congressmen as they did not do their JOB!!!
Agree with a lot of your observations. Thought your liberal spinkling of the term 'liberal", was a bit ridiculous. I had searched to find out how many and what the costs of providing limos to congress and the senate were.
In California, the 'liberal' Govenor, Jerry Brown, has just pulled cell phones from a majority of government workers. Shouldn't congress have to provide their own cell phones and transportation like the rest of us? Frankly, I'd feel better providing a cell phone to a working,welfare mom who's waiting at a bus stop, trying to get home to her child.
"We have the best government that money can buy."
~Mark Twain
So while I agree with you on most points, I am a liberal and wish you would be a little more fair. Point out all of the conservative politicians who are NOT lining their pockets with cash while in office. I don't think it is a conservative vs liberal issue, it is a right vs wrong issue. When our government was formed, the occupation of politician was never intended to exist! They are all corrupt and recieve money from special interests which influence their votes! Politicians should not be allowed to vote on their pay raises, the American people should vote in raises at voting polls! After all don't they work for us?....or do they
Even though this article is two years old now; your calculation is wrong. Under FERS the formula is 0.01 X number of years X high 3 salary. Oh wait once the 20 year mark is reached the 0.01 changes to 0.011. So the calculation is 0.011 X 20 X 174,000 = $38,280.00. About $100,000 difference from your calculation. I'm just saying.
Actually I think the lowest paid congressman is RON PAUL, he makes around 37k a year.
GOOGLE RON PAUL 2012!
I guess its nice they have all those jets i was a Marine and had to fly into kuwait on the cheapest airline they could find and had a nasty mre for my dinner.I was more comforatble on the military plane into iraq
Actually, by law (that they passed) Congressmen and Senators can't make more than 80% of salary in retirement no matter what.
You should take the time to do a little research.
There you go again --- Blame it on Obama! Republicans and Democrats are birds of the same feather. You got to be kiddin' --- I know where Corporate Greed breeds and whose party supports it.
term limits yes! but the blame is misdirected. Id say blame the despicable republicans....except this crosses party lines. We need to stop being so polarized. The right meets the left on the far side of the circle.
I think this article would have been much better without the labels of "liberal" or "conservative". Fine, people have a right to know what congress people make, but to demonize any one party is a fallacy. When your article could have simply been about the wastefulness of Congress, you made your argument into a conservative vs liberal article. Boring and pedantic. This article fails the test of political neutrality and simple facts that so many Americans are wanting. Your article has failed to convince me of anything that wasn't already apparent. Numbers and facts don't mean much when you make it into another form of political divisiveness. If you want to convince people to lean one way or another, try to avoid using labels. This article was a MAJOR disappointment for that reason. I'll look else where for simple facts and the political neutrality that we Americans are starving for.
there is no hope for america, greet will overwhelm us, take us to the brink of the bottomless pit, it's not the free enterprize but greet, greet and more greet
I don't think its the pay or the term limits that get me. Sure getting paid that amount is just scandalous but what gets me is all these useless functions like the IRS. So... I'm paying you... to tell me I'm not paying you enough. Lolwut?
I Agree with the pay cuts, I also agree with term limits, but I do not agree that the only thing you should get for working in the government is a sense of pride. That leaves no incentive for anyone to do it, leaving room for anyone wanting to try (Including the dishonest) to over turn these thoughts. The Idea should be that the right people wouldn't take huge sums of money we don't have.
so do you think a person could get elected president running on the premess of abolishing all the perks that cost us as americans so dearly.give me 75000and a insurance policy i can affored and i would take the job.
so how do we get a total on just how much those perks cost us.
must be nice to earn so much money for doing nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!
they should give back to the people of this country at least a fourth of what they make senators,judges all elected and appointed,are over paid idiots ,have they helped us ?it is worse than ever,if nothing improves you stop spending. why have they got to ride and fly all over the world like hollywood people its a sorry horrible time and has been for years and we the people have allowed them to do what they are doing ,only jobs here are law jobs we are mass producing children for them to be sent to prison over a joint its terrible out there they are all bought off and greedy these people are susposed to serve and protect,crack alley is more of a protector than they ever will be,they lie in court before corrupt judges lawyers,they make most of the people i know want to have a revolt..if u have no money they throw u away,god have mercy on us
Reading this article really opened my eyes and put a few things into perspective for me. I teach and for the last 3 years have had furlough days. Next year will be the same except we will have more furlough days than we have ever had. Since Pres. Obama took office my pay has decreased every year due to my insurance increasing...oh...and the furlough days! A representative from a nearby city refused to take furlough days because he said they were unconstitutional!! REALLY!!! I used to sign a contract that said the certain amount I made each year and now my contract does not say any amount because they may add more furlough days. I am still responsible for getting all of the information that the government required into the students I teach and face reprimand depending on how many fail. I do not have a great deal of parent participation in my school and our city has a lower tax payer base than those receiving aid. Congress needs to take a good long look at the "aid" programs and maybe change those programs. I suggest that if you receive a gov't check and your children attend a tax payer public school then your children pass or you receive less money. I would like to see EBT cards done the way WIC vouchers are done. If you get money for food you should not get to buy all the things tax payers cannot afford. I also think that if you get "aid" and an EBT card you should not qualify for free/reduced lunch. Send a sandwich with your kid like the taxpayers do! Ok...I am off of my soap box...maybe I should run for congress...it looks pretty good from here!!
Thanks for further making me want to smash my monitor while at work. I came here looking for someone to elaborate on how I was feeling, and you did pretty well. I'm not sure if two terms for congress is the answer, but either way something needs to give.
All of the information on this page is inaccurate.
The aircraft you posted isn't even American. Your stats about the retirement are wrong, and your time line is totally off. I can't believe you took the time to even write this inaccurate crap. You are soooo stupid.
Same old rhetoric: All the evil liberals' fault, the saintly republicans to the rescue. Global warming, evolution, Einstein's Theory of Relativity - all are scientifically proved. Pensions? I have been a state worker for 19 years, and would garner about $600.00 per month were I to retire now. The republican legerdemain of "right to work" laws are those of cunning sophistry. Let the rich corporations go tax free, as so many weathly businessmen and corporations saw the income skyrocket during the recession. Yes, the illiberal republicans are certainly paragons of moral virtue.
Don't put military under your category. The stuff soldiers do for the country. They are willing to die for us. Yes the war we are fighting now is bs. But they are still fighting for us. They work hard for what they get and they give a lot for it too.
I believe we need 2-term limits for all politicians.
First term in office.
Second term in prison for life with no possibility of parole and some even given the death penalty by lethal injection. I would much prefer death by stoning from the citizens who they have stolen their property from because they could not afford taxes. When did these gangsters in Washington spend one penny to help purchase anyone's home? Slavery & servitude to a few thugs is what's going on and America needs another 1776 to kick the thugs out of power before they kill us all in a war designed to kill the masses and boost the economy. One politician in washington was quoted as saying we masses are just a bunch of "Usless Eaters". Trust me when I say he speaks for all politicians in washington. They don't give a rats a$$ about the people.
Why would a politician like Obama spend 500 million dollars of his own money to get a job that pays $400,000 a year in salary? You can bet they funnel billions some how from the tax payers for their retirement. Most likely the government owned world bank handles the money and no citizen has access to that information. Why would local politicians spend a hundred thousand or more of their own money to get elected? Because after 4 years the tax payers will be robed of their money to pay them a hundred & fifty thousand dollars a year for the rest of their lives. They can retire at as little as 30 years old while we can't retire till we are 65 years old & almost dead in our graves. And we get a thousand a month or less. Now tell me we don't need a BLOODY revolution in America. Thugs & criminals rule and we are their slaves. Wake up America.
Our Congress is as best as it could get, but with the new technology we can do anything
congress could take care of the disabled war vets by giveing them the same salary/benfits that congress gets and it wouldn't affect our ecomony one bit the war vets need a bail out too they do the bleeding/dieing/suffering that war brings the ones that gove the most deserve the most espicslly the ones that go in harms way time an time again they do more for the nation than congress does they deserve it more
eovery 2 years ago
Don, Thanks for rattling my cage, again.
These guys make a lot more money from other things. I know as I work for a corporation, most of the things I do that even remotely represents my job, I have to give the money and patients to the company. I think the congress people should have to do that to. The go out and give speeches and get paid 10 to 20 grand per speech, because of their position. This money should belong to the government because it is due to their positions. But when you are the fox and in charge of the chicken coop, you can have all the extra chickens you want.
Keep on Hubbing!