Retirement for senators and congressmen???

[Smj]

This was sent to me in one of those "Send this to everyone" e-mails, is it true??


Election Issue!!

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, former Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000.00 (that's Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of their lives.

This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two 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 is $0.00. NADA....ZILCH....

This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Funds; "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 (1) month to equal Senator Bill Bradley's benefits!

Social Security could be very good if only one small change were 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 watch 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 Senators and Representatives can you send this to."


Smj

[skahorse]

Urban legend ...Sort of...

--Skahorse

[ 11-06-2003, 10:30 AM: Message edited by: skahorse ]

[bllelk]

I don't know if this also is true, but I was told they also get to keep all the money left over in their relection campaign treasury when they retire.
I am especially proud of the way they all stood up to be counted on the $87 billion for the mid east wars. :whazzup:

[Hogback]

They can and do collect SS if they ever worked in the private sector. I remember reading something about a senator or congressman drawing SS, his pension from being a senator or congressman, a privite pension and I believe a military pension. The issue raised quite a stink for a while years ago but blew over.
Randy

[lost_sailor]

Everything you read on the Internet is absolutely true.

[Smj]

Thanks skahorse, DUH, can't belive I didn't think to check my own hoax and urbane legend sites first!

I don't think I've ever "Send this letter to everyone you know" when I've got them.
At least I have another site in favorites now to check next time I get a letter or warning like this.

Smj

[Kruechief]

Oh Sure,

I used to send stuff like that on [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img] but thanks to a straight-shooting mod named The Geek , I no longer blindly passs this dribble on... Ok... [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img] sometimes, but only because the information is so funny.

Krue