Topic awaiting preservation: When US politicians retire - BLAH!

Subject: Social Security Solution

This must be a campaign issue in 2004. Keep it going.

SOCIAL SECURITY: (This is worth the read. It's short and to the point.)

Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our Senators and Congressmen do not pay into Social Security. Many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan. In more recent years, no congress person has felt the need to change it. For all practical purposes their plan works like this:

When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die, except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments. For example, former Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $ 7,800,000 - that's Seven Million, Eight Hundred Thousand), with their wives drawing $ 275,000.00 during the last
years of their lives. This is calculated on an average life span for each.

Their cost for this excellent plan is $ 00.00. This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Fund--our tax dollars at work! From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into --every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer) --we can expect to get an average $ 1,000 per month after retirement. Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $ 1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one month to equal Senator Bill Bradley's benefits!

Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made. And that change would be to jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us and then watch how fast they would fix it.

If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve. WE, each one of us... can make a difference.

How many people can YOU send this to?

Wait. You got this in an email? I'd like to see a more reputable source.

Slime: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/congressionalpensions.htm

Thanks for that.

While some points in the original are falsehoods, there is an underlying truth about those politician basterds. I vaguely remember a fiasco some years ago about them voting themselves a rather hefty pay raise.

Also, if I remember correctly, the president gets $100,000 a year for the rest of his life after his term. Something like that. Could be something like 100k/year for a few years, then 50k/year for the rest of his life.

they voted to give themselves a pay raise every year or so based on the current standard of living increase (as established one of those government bureaucracies no less), the bill also included an opt-out for each time this comes around so they can vote to deny the raise for that year.

That's a big issue this congress too, because the economy has sucked all year, they better vote to turn down the raise or feel the wrath of ... oh geez... i don't know... Bill OReilly i guess.