Congress generous with pensions -- their own

[Rose Siding]

Washington -- While the White House and Congress explore ways to fix Social Security -- whether to cut benefits, raise taxes or impose a higher retirement age -- one segment of the 52 million Americans who get retirement benefits is likely to remain untouched: the lawmakers themselves.

There are no serious proposals for Congress to cut its own pension plan or raise the retirement age or years of service required for senators and representatives to qualify for benefits that are beyond the reach of most working Americans.
.....
...The retirement package includes automatic inflation adjustments and guaranteed access to post-retirement private medical insurance in addition to Medicare protection provided all Americans.

Barely 20 percent of the American workforce has pensions comparable to congressional pensions, according to the independent Employee Benefit Research Institute. Almost no one in the private sector has the kind of cost-of-living escalators that keep Capitol Hill pensions moving upward.

Lawmakers have "paved a smooth path for their golden years," said John Berthoud, president of the National Taxpayers Union, a 350,000-member conservative advocacy group that campaigns for lower federal spending. "Too bad taxpayers are supplying most of the gold."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/04/03/MNGK1C2HA71.DTL

[Liberty Belle]

1. Re: Congresional pensions, you might enjoy this:

Wishful thinking from the April Fool's Day edition of my publication, the Liberty Belle Log:



HOUSE VOTES TO IMPEACH BUSH, CHENEY

After learning of the President’s secret plan to privatize Congressional pensions and seize Representative’s lucrative campaign war chests, Republicans and Democrats in Congress voted to impeach George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. The corporate-owned media is hyping the “Trial of the Century” – no, not the Senate impeachment hearings. To boost ratings, the major networks plan to air round-the-clock footage of Michael Jackson’s trial instead…


DIEBOLD BUYERS REVEALED

A consortium of private investors has purchased Diebold for an undisclosed sum. The investment consortium has now been revealed to be a front group for progressive citizens, whose first executive decision has been to rename the company Livefree. “I promise that Livefree will deliver the 2008 election to Hilary,” pledged Livefree’s new CEO, Bill Clinton…

BOXER NAMES CABINET

Assured of victory in her just-announced 2008 run for the White House, Hilary Clinton and her Vice Presidential running mate, Barbara Boxer, have revealed key cabinet nominees.

“As FCC Commissioner, Michael Moore’s first priority will be to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine and unplug that unfair and biased network, Fox News,” vowed Clinton, who also promised to break up the media monopolies and eliminate government propaganda.

Attorney General nominee John Kerry stated that his first priority will be to launch investigations into rampant corruption in the Bush administration.

In other news, Clinton announced plans to appoint John Edwards to the Supreme Court. DNC Chair Howard Dean praised the early nomination, adding that Justice Edwards “will put the people’s interests ahead of the corporations that have been running this country. Yeaaaaaaaaaah!”

[Rose Siding]

2. "Boxer Names Cabinet"

That's ADORABLE :D

[Q3JR4]

11. Sigh, if only this were the case. n/t

[hector459]

3. Until Congressional pensions equal CEO golden parachutes I won't

complain about what Congress receives for their service to the country and their constituents.

We are continuously ripped off by corporation's products and services and now gasoline and other utilities. Yet we never seem to mind and the MSM doesn't harp on the compensation or the "retirement" benifits of corporate CEOs. It wasn't until Raines (Fanie Mae) compensation and severance pay was disclosed that the MSM ranted about anyone's CEO salary or benefits that I can remember. So lay off the Congress. They don't make anymore than the Executive Service of the US government...and I am talking about all those political appointees who will sooner or later work for the companies they now regulate.

[cornermouse]

4. I don't mind bashing the CEOs as well as Congress.

And if you've been around very long, you'd know that I'm not the only one. There have been lots of posts exploring the increase in ratio of CEO salaries as compared to their employees.

The fact is, if their pay and benefits were based on job performance, Congress would be receiving some stiff well deserved cuts right now.

[Iowa]

5. What a crock!

The personal financial destinies of our corporate shill politicians are completely disconnected from the financial security of the masses. Therefore, they have no incentive to protect their constituents and we are all in grave danger. If we suffer, they should suffer. If our pensions turn to crap, so should theirs. If we are insecure, they should be insecure. If we go down, they should go down. If we don't have access to health insurance, they shouldn't be able to access it. Our destinies should be tied directly to theirs.

[Rose Siding]

6. Excellent points, Iowa

Welcome to DU! :hi:

I favor public servants earning great benefits, but their rising tide damn well better lift our boats, too.

[mbperrin]

7. Thank You!

I, too, am rather tired of the some-animals-are-more-equal-than-others rationale that Congress uses to raise their own pay 7 times for $28,000 while in the same period, refusing to raise minimum wage by one cent!

They need $28,000 more per year, while minimum-wage workers need nothing! Love to have full retirement after 12 years of employment with excellent lifetime medical care and more, too!

Course, as someone who's been working since the age of 14 beginning in 1966, I hardly "deserve" either retirement or medical care! I, like you, believe this whole "crisi" would be over if we simply said: Congress draws Social Security (and ONLY Social Security) for retirement, and receive Medicare (and ONLY Medicare ) for their medical.

THEN there'd be solutions aplenty!

[Jensen]

8. CEO' s are definatly taking the money off workers backs....

I hope I'm not off subject with this post and this petition being past out by a friend of mine and I hope people signed it!
United Airlines who is in bankruptsy court just gave their top dogs a 1.2 million dollar bonus! Where is Congress??/ Where is the Judge looking after this bankruptsy??? It just makes you wonder where is all going to end!



Following is a petition that AFA has put together. Feel free to forward it.

http://www.unitedafa.org/res/b/n/petition/default.asp





www.unitedafa.org

[2Design]

9. so can we get michael moore to do a movie on this and get

some action to reduce their salaries and their benefits

until they hurt like the rest - they have no incentives

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

10. republican hypocirtes

republican hypocrites are trying to cur social security while keeping ostentatious pension benefits for themselves.