Congress - smongress. Get a REAL job.

You will find if you read this blog at all that I tend to vent by posting other peoples words. This is due to a variety of factors between lack of time to verbalize on my own and a tendency to not be very eloquent.

One of the earliest reasons I learned to dislike politicians in general was the realization that while I, someone in the military - representing those who could possibly be called upon to die for the country - was at the mercy of the federal budget for a simple pay raise. Money to feed my family, get a car or just take a vacation was held hostage at a whim by the Congress and political battles. And then, one day, I discovered that Congress had the ability to vote themselves a pay raise. Now wait - what person in their right mind (much less a Congressman or Senator) would NOT vote themselves the ability to earn more money.

The following information is another one of those epiphany's. My friend Roy was talking about Congressional retirement. Maybe you knew this before. But the sentiment expressed here is 100% spot on. There is not one reason why a federal politician should NOT be held to the same standards as the rest of the workers in this country. Who in the HELL said they were better than us?

START A BILL TO PLACE ALL POLITICIANS ON SOCIAL SECURITY

Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it.

You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan. In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan. 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, Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7, 800,000.00 (that's Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275, 000.00 during the last years of their lives.

This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two Dignitaries.

Younger Dignitaries who retire at an early age, will receive much more during the rest of their lives.

Their cost for this excellent plan is $0.00. NADA..! ZILCH....

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 Funds;

"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 of $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 (1) month to equal Senator Bill Bradley's benefits!

Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made.

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 Then sit back and see how fast they would fix it.