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bastardosybastitdos t1_ir9dkd0 wrote

Reply to comment by cyriouslyslick in Bomb threats, credit card fraud: state rep Stacie-Marie Laughton of Nashua by Final_Act6703

But people can’t afford to give away their time. That means you only get the wealthy who can afford to represent you. Serving in the federal government is hardly a “cash cow.” Senators make $193,000. A nice salary but solidly middle class.

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nowhereman1223 t1_ir9ym1d wrote

"Members of Congress are eligible for a pension at the age of 62 if they have completed at least five years of service. Members are eligible for a pension at age 50 if they have completed 20 years of service, or at any age after completing 25 years of service. The amount of the pension depends on years of service and the average of the highest three years of salary. By law, the starting amount of a member's retirement annuity may not exceed 80 percent of his or her final salary"

Get yourself in office for 1 term as a senator or 2.5 terms as house of reps member and that's a decent deal.

Work for 5 years and get at least $150,000+ per year for life starting at 62?

Sounds pretty good to me.

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Dont forget that they also get the Gold Level Package provided by the Affordable Care Act. They pay 28% of the premiums with the government/taxpayers covering the other 72%. Also a pretty good deal. So not a Cash cow, but also not a bad gig.

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bastardosybastitdos t1_ir9z8vl wrote

I know some red loving folks will Find my following sentiment crazy but …

I think that is a deal all Americans should enjoy. A livable wage, a secure pension and quality healthcare for life seems like something all citizens of a rich and successful country should enjoy.

I would vote to elect more representatives who would vote to ensure those things for all of us.

I do enjoy those benefits and it’s a great thing for me and my family. I wish it for everyone of my fellow citizens.

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petrified_eel4615 t1_ir9rqhw wrote

yeah, they make their real money in illegal stock trades & bribes... I mean lobbying.

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bastardosybastitdos t1_ir9s992 wrote

Some do. Some don’t. It’s just like police. Some are corrupt. Some are not.

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petrified_eel4615 t1_ir9ti0g wrote

>Some do. Some don’t. It’s just like police. Some are corrupt. Some are not.

Like, the 90% who are corrupt making the other 10% look bad?

Ballotpedia has an excellent Personal Gain Index that shows it.

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bastardosybastitdos t1_ir9umxx wrote

I just looked up the source you mentioned.

“The average member saw his or her net worth increase by an average of 15.4 percent per year.”

As I said there were some egregious examples but on average I am not too worried about 15%. My net worth went up more than that and is higher than many of their top 100 offenders.

Money has no place in politics and we should fight to have Citizens United reversed.

But to say that every politician is an evil money grabber with no interest to serve her community is ignorant.

Have a good day and good luck!

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