Congressional
Retirement Pensions
A Congressional pension was designed to help retired representatives
financially survive upon leaving their elected office, it was not meant to
bankrupt the United States of America and its citizenry. As we’ve seen over
the years, many representatives who do nothing for this country except cause
serious trouble for its citizens remain in office due to voters who keep electing
them into office every two years because of either ignorance, lack of education
on the issues, or political party affiliation. This pension plan is as Ron Paul
stated, Immoral due to its ability to bankrupt the country by shady individuals
who only serve in Congress for the financial benefits it affords the member.
As of 1983, the Social Security Administration required all members
to contribute to the Social Security system. Unfortunately, representatives
saw the chance to line their own pockets further in 1986 when they designed the
Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) which now covers all new members of
Congress. This new system offered previously elected representatives to either continue
with the CSRS system or switch over to the FERS program, the majority of them
switched over to the new plan as it was more lucrative than the old one.
According to the Civil Service Retirement System, the benefit
package designed for the members of Congress was established to entice a “larger number of younger members with fresh energy and new viewpoints”
to join the House after World War II with the passage of P.L. 79-601.
Its one thing for the FERS pension plan to pay out a pension to a
federal employee who has worked for the federal government in a specific agency
or position, but for a member of Congress who is paid a pension for doing truly
nothing while in office to enhance the Country in some way, is truly immoral
and detrimental to the future of this country. When we look back on history in
this country, we will see that the founding members of Congress didn’t get paid
large sums of money per year to further the future of this country, instead, they were paid a per diem amount for their service because they felt it was a
moral obligation to serve, unlike those who serve nowadays because they can’t find
a job in the private sector.
As of 2002 the average pension for any congressional representative
is now ranging between $41,000 to $55,000 per year. However, if a senior member
has been in office for 32 years or more can expect a pension of $139,000 per
year. This means Nancy Pelosi gets the $139,000 per year at retirement because
she’s been in office so long. But does she deserve it? This author doesn’t
believe she does.
The only good thing about this new program is that as of 2003, any
previously elected representative can decline the pension program they are
offered whereas any new member coming into the House cannot. Is this pension
plan a scam, this author thinks so. What do you think?
Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of
experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere.
Graduating with an Associate of Arts from Pheonix University kin Business
Management, then a degree in Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Phoenix
University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with
emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her
Ph.D. degree in Criminology, her work portfolio includes coverage of politics,
current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. In her spare time,
Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist, proficient in
watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, Gouache, and pastels. As a political
operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has
turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to
weave interesting storylines. She also runs 6 blogs that range from art to life
coaching, to food, to writing, and opinion or history pieces each week.
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