Congressional Perks

Here are some of the perks our Congressmen and Congresswomen receive. There are others as well. Retirement Benefit - In the final analysis, Congressional pension benefits are 2-3 times more generous than what a similarly-salaried executive could expect to receive upon retiring from the private sector, and depends upon their salaries and how long they live after retirement. Annual Allowance - In the House, most recent data: In 2005 amounts tended to range between $1.2 and $1.4 million. _ In the Senate, most recent data: Senate allowances range from an estimated $2 million to just under $4 million. Salaries - For both Senators and Representatives range from $174,000 to $223,500 depending upon the position. However, Congress has the authority to raise their salary as they wish, without having to hold a vote. Isn't that nice! Health and Life Insurance - approximately 3/4 and 1/3 of whose costs, respectively, are subsidized by taxpayers. Perks from Lobbyists - Despite ethics regulations regarding gifts from lobbyists, Members of Congress are still able to use their lobbyist ties to get into events that regular peyou or I simply do not have access to. For example, if a Member of Congress wanted a prime ticket to a sold-out event, he could still get that ticket from lobbyists he’s close with, as long as the face value of the ticket is reimbursed by the Member. However, this money doesn’t have to come from the Member’s pocket, but instead can come from the usually deep campaign account, which usually contains money from lobbyists and their associated PACs. Days Off - While most Americans get one day off for Memorial Day and sometimes Presidents Day, members of Congress get the entire week off. However, Congress doesn’t like to call these vacation days, but instead call them “District Work Periods,” even though there is nothing requiring them to be in their district during those times. Congress also gets a number of additional recesses, some lasting as long as a month. Imagine if we all got to decide what we wanted and would accept for benefits from our employer - wouldn't that be glorious! It's time for legislation that eliminates 'conflict of interest'. How about we let the American people decide on what our elected officials, our 'employees', get for benefits. How many in Congress would rush headlong to vote for that legislation without reading it? Wake Up America!