2 millionaire senators introduce plan to make sure Congress is only for the rich

And now the wealthy are crawling out from under their rocks and out of the woodwork to openly take it, it being our government, all away. And it’s somehow so fitting that the Medicaid fraudster and all-round nasty unit, Rick Scott of Florida deliver the plan.

2 millionaire senators introduce plan to make sure Congress is only for the rich

Let’s start this column off with a bold assertion. Paying lawmakers good salaries is one of our country’s most important progressive reforms because it means that they don’t have to be wealthy to serve. High congressional pay is a safeguard against corruption, not a sign of it.

Bear this assertion in mind as you consider this proposal.

GOP senators Rick Scott, Mike Braun introduce bill to end congressional pensions

Two Republican senators on Tuesday introduced legislation that would eliminate pensions for retiring members of Congress.

Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida introduced their “End Pensions in Congress Act” in the hopes that it will make Washington more efficient.

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“When Congress failed to do their job and created the longest government shutdown in history, hardworking Americans were forced to go without pay while members of Congress were still collecting paychecks. That is wrong and is exactly why I’m fighting to reform Washington,” Mr. Scott said in a statement. “It’s time for term limits and it’s time to make those in D.C. realize that the era of career politicians is over.”

https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/12/rick-scott-mike-braun-bil...

Yeah, they’re making their move. Between the Dim Starbucks guy and these two, both sides are out to finally take over.

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Pricknick's picture

Congress critters need to follow the active duty military rules if they want a pension.
No more than 30 days paid vacation per year from their assigned post (DC) which must be accrued before use. Must serve 20 years to be eligible for retirement.
Just imagine. We might get our moneys worth that way.
None of these rich pricks would run.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

and get a 6 figure pension, while most Americans have to work 45 years to get a poverty level Social Security?
If it wasn't for who was sponsoring it I would be so in favor of it.

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On to Biden since 1973

Bollox Ref's picture

of their health care plan.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

detroitmechworks's picture

No salary for congress, ever! That way, the lobbyists can properly buy votes for 3 extra drachmas, while claiming that the system has always worked this way. You too could bribe politicians if you had "access"!

Heck, no money for anybody! They'll adapt, and corporate America can get about their business of becoming beings of pure math, which buys nothing because it has no needs, and its only customers are other corporations...

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Big Al's picture

they're not the first to introduce it, so likely it will go nowhere like the others. But it doesn't affect pay, which is generous at an average of $174k per year, i.e., solidly in the 1% range (I think, I didn't check). So for instance, someone like AOC can serve just one term, get paid about $350K for two years and get a small pension when she's eligible (unless she ends up getting elected again and again, then she'd get a large pension.) Not to mention all the opportunities she'd have after her two years. Those who serve 20 years or more in Congress and Senate end up with pensions well past 100K after having made 1% salaries for those years.

Basically it would do this:

"Amends the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) to exclude Members of Congress, except the Vice President, from further CSRS and FERS retirement coverage."

If we maintained this system of career politicians, which I'm strongly against, then I could see keeping them tied to the CSRS/FERS, but with term limits, I don't see the need, although there should be consideration of some kind of counter balance to the interruption of careers, etc. while serving. But then again, we don't do that with those serving in the National Guard, other then safeguarding their employment for when they return from active duty.

The problem is, they're not proposing term limits along with it. So as usual with our unrepresentatives, it doesn't come close to addressing the real "problem" of career politicians, which they claim as the primary goal. Not to mention all the other problems.
It's just bluster.

I'm strongly in favor of term limits, but much more than that and unless we do it all at once, I'm not sure what good any of it would do.

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@Big Al
become current lobbyists. Do you really want to inflate the number of ex representatives lobbying congress?

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Big Al's picture

@FuturePassed If you did read it the first time.

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Bisbonian's picture

@Big Al . I am sure there is some variation, but this is in the ballpark of what I have read before:

What is the 2018 Cutoff to be a One-Percent Earner?

See our one percent in America article, we’d argue that net worth is a more suitable measure of the one percent. However, recognizing that a definition change is an uphill battle we did the math!

To reach the 1% in 2018 required an individual income of $300,577. Around 1,738,742 individuals made a 1% – or greater – income in full-year 2017.

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"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

Pricknick's picture

@Bisbonian
plus campaign funding, stock insider trading and benefits, they're well above the threshold.
The majority of congress is 1%.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

Big Al's picture

@Pricknick getting paid is misplaced. The issue is about career politicians. I checked out the twitter feed and most of the comments were about how they were trying to make it so only the rich could take politician jobs, completely ignoring the basic issue, apparently because of the rich messengers.

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Hawkfish's picture

Paying members of parliament a salary was one of the Chartists’ demands:

4. Payment of Members, enabling tradesmen, working men, or other persons of modest means to leave or interrupt their livelihood to attend to the interests of the nation.

The Goopers really do want to take us back to the 18th century...

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We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg