by Jayson 16 Replies latest social current
Just as an update, I've been in contact with my Congressman's office. According to him, they do pay into Social Security. When I have his reply I'll post it here.
Here in Ohio there have been questions about recalling the Governor. Can't be done here.
Weird how you can just smell an urban legend after a little practice. The first of this is from Rush Limbaugh, the last is not. And while Rush is making a pertinent point for our times, one wonders if he convieniently neglected to mention the SGLI program, or really was unaware. Knowing a little about Rush, I'd guess the former.
Also, be sure to note the snopes page regarding Congress & it's benefits.
This is from snopes.com:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What this piece doesn't mention is that military personnel are automatically insured (unless they decline the coverage) under the Servicemen's Group Life Insurance ( SGLI ) program, which pays $250,000 to the family of a serviceman who is killed while on active service. This is a far cry from the average of $1.65 million that will be paid to the families of September 11 victims (and servicemen have to pay premiums of $20 per month for the coverage), but it makes the picture regarding compensation for servicemen's families look far less bleak than presented here.
This piece is also circulating with a coda that looks like it was tacked on by someone else, possibly as a commentary on the article that has now mistakenly been assumed a part of the original article itself:
"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." --Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.Every time when a pay raise comes up for the military they usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low rent housing. However our own U.S. Congress just voted themselves a raise, and many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one-time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month and most are now equal to be millionaires plus. They also do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system.
If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7 you may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed you in harms way receive a pension of $15,000 per month. I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting.
The claim that Congressmen can receive lavish pensions after serving only a single term in Congress (eventually totalling into the millions of dollars) and that they neither pay into nor receive benefits from the Social Security fund is misinformation already covered on a separate page of this site. (As of 1998, the average annuity for retired members of Congress was about $48,000.)
Rush got this one correct. However, I stopped listening to his radio program years ago.
So, based on compensation, all of us are worth (money wise) up to and including $4.5 million?
Only one question: How is one life determined to be worth more than another person's life? (Considering all of us are equal)
I take the essay with a grain of salt. I don't doubt that Congress provides well for itself, but would like to see the official figures.
Go way back to when the Constitution was written, y'all. What our Founding Fathers wanted was a true representative republic. Back then it would be Joe the blacksmith taking some time every year to go to the capital and run the country. Nowadays it should be Joe the auto mechanic or Bill the [whatever] but instead we have......well what we have now.
We're definitely not a representative republic anymore, and honestly we're not even a real democracy. If you were to try to define this country as a democracy it would have to be an "inverse democracy". One in which the few call the shots for the many. Special interest groups, big business, lawyers, and minorities have more say in legislation than do the majority of people who have to live with the legislation.
Tax the poor and we'll fix the whole damn mess!
Mike.
Jayson,
A very good article....spot-on in his assessment.
This is the response I got from Congressman John Boehner (R-OH) on this issue. He addresses a couple of other issues that aren't concerned with Social Security in his response, but I left them in just in case someone has heard about these issues as well.
The Evolution and Elevation of Misleading Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
On October 30, 1938, millions across the nation listened to radio news
reports announcing the arrival of Martians on Earth. Many ran out of
their homes screaming. Others frantically called local newspapers, police
stations, and hospitals.
What these listeners actually heard was not a real news program, but a
portion of Orson Welles' adaptation of the book, War of the Worlds.
This moment in history now is known as one of the most famous Halloween
stories gone bad, not to mention a very high-profile example of people being
misled.
Now, in the age of 24-hour news networks and real-time information
via the Internet, repeating a stunt like this would be impossible. However,
as we receive incredible amounts of information, we're also - unfortunately-
deluged with incredible amounts of misleading information.
For example, I recently received an e-mail that described a "Golden
Fleece Retirement Plan" for Members of Congress. The e-mail alleged that
Members of Congress do not pay into Social Security and instead receive a
too-good-to-be-true pension. The reason it is too good to be true is
because, well...it isn't true.
Since 1986, Members of Congress have participated in a retirement
plan - the Federal Employee Retirement System - which was enacted not only for
Members of Congress, but other federal employees as well. I pay into Social
Security, and I'm a participant in this system, which is very similar
to pension plans offered by many companies to their employees. It
consists of three elements: (1) Social Security; (2) a traditional pension
payment based on years of service and the three highest consecutive years of pay;
and (3) a savings plan matched with a small percentage of employer
contributions -similar to 401(k) plans offered in the private sector.
Another very popular, yet false, e-mail claims that a "Congressman
Schnell" has introduced "Bill 602P" to allow the federal government to impose
a five-cent surcharge on each e-mail message delivered. Once again,
it's a hoax. There is no "Bill 602P" (or any legislation) that would allow
e-mail taxation. There's also no one in Washington named "Congressman
Schnell."
Misleading and untrue information is not distributed exclusively via
e-mail, of course. Some is provided through regular mail or by telephone.
In fact, within the past few months, my office has received several angry
calls and letters from parents around the country who had been given false
information about legislation that's been approved by the House.
One goal Congress and the President have set is reducing the
mountains of paperwork special education teachers must complete each year -
paperwork that often draws their attention away from doing their job: teaching.
To accomplish this, we've proposed to parents the OPTION of choosing a
three-year Individualized Education Plan (a required element of a
special needs child's education) over the one-year plan currently mandated by
law -a choice that would greatly reduce teacher paperwork. However, if
parents want to continue using the one-year plan, they are welcome to do so.
Apparently, many organizations have contacted parents to explain this
reform but failed to mention the word "OPTIONAL" in describing the reform.
Needless to say, once my office explained the issue correctly,
parents were angry no longer.
Clearly, there's an ocean of misleading or completely false
information out there, and much of it pertains to the federal government. If you
have a question or a concern, I'm here to serve you. Call my office. Send
an e-mail. Write a letter. Or stop by one of my staff's monthly Open
Door visits in your community. Our Open Door schedule can be found on my
website, www.johnboehner.house.gov, or by calling my office
toll-free, 1-800-582-1001. As your representative to Congress, I'm here to
clarify federal matters that may seem murky or misleading. It's a
responsibility I take most seriously.
I listened to Rush Limbaugh for years and watched his tv show back in the 80's .He will say anything to criticize the democrats or liberals as he calls them . It's all just part of his show . The part where he thinks the military should be entitled to the same kind of charity as the 911 victims is absurd .
Bendrr--- I think these days in order to practice law they are required to have a legal license which means a college degree in law and passing the bar exam.Most mechanics that I know barely pass the ASE test .
