why is right...
i believe mccain said we had to allow them to gain their riches to prevent them from working sordidly to get rich... or something like that..
Why are they millionaires?
Congressional pensions are a prime candidate for means-testing. But as long as current and former members of Congress have a say in the matter, this won’t happen.
Why? Because we are grateful for their public service.
More seriously, because we’ve slowly watched our government, at all levels, vote themselves benefits that far exceed those of the private sector, and which constantly increase regardless of economic conditions.
I say “watched,” because there is no mechanism to counteract the trend. It would require voting in a majority of reformers who actually did what they pledged. That’s a tough sell to an aspiring politician. After shaking ten thousand hands and kissing all those snotty infants, they aren’t going to actually go in and reduce their benefits.
A systemic flaw.
It’s NOT just congress it’s millions and millions of fed gov workers and state gov workers who double dip.
Privileged class, totally immune from the Law.
American Aristocracy.
Needs to be guillotined.
Should multimillionaires opt out of a pension from taxpayer dollars that is dwarfed by their net worth?
Totally legal to take the full amount, optional to decline.
This is not how Congress was envisioned by the founders, is it?
You would go do legislation for part of the year then return to your real occupation.
Exactly what useful legislation have people like Pelosi or Schitt even passed?
What a ridiculous abuse of office.
Why? Really why???
Because once elected they no longer work for us. Plain and simple. The apathy of the American electorate, by in large, is astonishing.
Long as I got my beer, darts on Friday nite at the bar, my flat screen TV, and a slick ride why should I care. That is what basically motivates most of Americans.
In Mexico, police routinely pay their supervisors more than their salary, in order to be in on the corruption.
Because they formed a committee that then approved the pensions thereby they can’t say they voted for it themselves.
A pension is what you get after a career. Congress was never meant to be a career.
Public Serpents.
Because the members of Congress are mostly lawyers and lawyers write laws that benefit lawyers.
They gave it to themselves
There should have to be a national referendum on their compensation package.
Worst case, if they are busted for their felonies CONgresscritters can file for federal disability retirement.
jesse jackson jr. did that (with help from daddy jackson) and collects $8,000/month of YOUR tax dollars.