The following is a KSCO commentary. Here is Kay Zwerling:
The timing is perfect for We the Public to force our lawmakers to do the right thing. What bugged me the most – when I learned some time ago how our lawmakers were also giving pensions to their spouses, I thought this is unadulterated stealing from We the People. Shame on Congress!
The topic is Social Security.
2012 is an election year for one-third of the Senate and one-half of the House of Representatives. It would be nice if Congress got the message. The voting taxpayers are in charge now. Let us show our leaders in Washington people power and the power of the internet. Please forward this to all your friends. It does not matter if you are Republican or Democrat. Just keep it going.
Propose this in 2012. Start a movement to place all politicians on Social Security. Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security, and, of course, they do not collect from it. You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves. So, many years ago, they voted in their own benefit plan. In more recent years, no Congressperson has felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan. For all practical purposes, their plan works like this: When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die, except it may increase from time to time for Cost of Living Adjustments. For example, Senator Byrd and Congressman Whyte, and their wives, may expect to draw $7,800,000 with their wives also drawing $275,000 during the last years of their lives. This is calculated on an average lifespan for each of those dignitaries. Younger dignitaries who retire at an early age will receive much more during the rest of their lives. Their cost for this excellent plan to them is zero, nada, zilch! This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The fund for this fine retirement plan comes directly from the General Fund – our tax dollars at “work”.
From our own Social Security plan, which you and I pay, or have paid into, every payday until we retire, which amount is matched by our employer, we can expect to get an average of $1,000 per month after retirement – or in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one month to equal Senator Bill Bradley’s benefits. Social Security could be very good if only one small change was made. That change would be to jerk the golden fleece retirement plan from under the Senators and Congressmen, put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us, then sit back and see how fast they would fix it.
If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted, and maybe good changes will evolve. How many people can you send this to? Better yet, how many people will you send this to?
For KSCO, this is Kay Zwerling.
© copyright 2011
The text of this commentary is available on the KSCO website, KSCO.com.
