Rule of Law

[Heavyduty053]

Let me ask you guys an important question: The rule of law was established by our forefathers with guidance coming from the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights....It is supposed to be the rightful piece of paper in which we govern our nation everyday. The elected leaders, namely Congressman and representatives are elected by the people in a free and lawful election, right. Well what gives them the right to stray from that same Constitution the swore to uphold in their Oath of Office. What gives them the right to pass amendments and laws upon the people that they are not willing to follow. What gives them the right to push the welfare and prosperity of this nation back in a corner and only let a certain percentage break through to better themselves.

 

The Constitution plainly says that Congress shall make NO LAWS that they will not let apply to themselves. They cannot rightfully and lawfully place themselves above the laws of our land.......but they have done so and keep on chipping away giving themselves more and more.....THE people have become silent and will not wake up to what Washington is doing everyday. 535 men and woman go there to their offices and to their chambers and figure how to get rich and empower themselves with more and more while taking away from our nations people. It is shameful.

 

They now get to keep a retirement income of what they are making even after one term

They are not subject to being made to use the same healthcare system they pass on the people

Their kids do not have to pay back student loans if there is any

They vote themselves healthy pay raises in the midst of people having to decide between buying their meds or food

Their entitlements and benefits are enormous

They ask for your votes and make promises that they will never keep once elected

They stand in front of camera's and say things because its party connected

 

With this nation of 360 million plus people the mindset is not enough to change them......but I can tell you one thing...when they stand before God they going to wish a million times they had done right instead of lying, cheating, and knowingly doing the people that placed their trust in them wrong.  I feel sorry for them and hope they see the light before they destroy this nation God give us to live in till he calls our name....They will pay for their deeds. 

 

 

[Heavyduty053]

I will say this...it has taken them years to get their salaries to where they don't care how long they stay in or lose an election...their pay is the same

 

[Jaxinjersey]

Great post, Heavy!  The ONLY answer to any of this is within the personal pride of the citizenry in LEARNING, UNDERSTANDING, EDUCATION, and ENLIGHTENMENT of The Declaration and The Constitution... and a lot of HISTORY... most especially, among our Youth!  The distractions are only mounting... it's a bigger challenge than most care to admit...

Thanks again for your attention! 

[tankdude]

Oh wow - I don't know where to start - but I guess I'll start at the top and work down. Those of you who know me understand I'm big on fact checking - so here we go!

 

They now get to keep a retirement income of what they are making even after one term

 

False - members of Congress do not receive their full pay as a pension upon leaving office. That’s the case whether they served one term or several.  Congressional pensions, like those of other federal employees, are financed through a combination of employee and employer contributions. All Members pay Social Security payroll taxes equal to 6.2% of the Social Security taxable wage base ($118,500 in 2016 and $127,200 in 2017). Members first covered by FERS prior to 2013 also pay 1.3% of full salary to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (CSRDF). Members of Congress first covered by FERS in 2013 contribute 3.1% of pay to the CSRDF. Members of Congress first covered by FERS after 2013 contribute 4.4% of pay to the CSRDF. In 2014, Members covered by CSRS Offset pay 1.8% of the first $118,500 of salary in 2016 ($127,200 in 2017), and 8.0% of salary above this amount, into the CSRDF.
Under both CSRS and FERS, 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% of his or her final salary.

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj8oLbF46nVAhVKllQKHUMuBAkQFghbMAs&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.factcheck.org%2F2015%2F01%2Fcongressional-pensions-update%2F&usg=AFQjCNEKVhS4GjdfYtPtfxlAcLQVQonkYw

 

They are not subject to being made to use the same healthcare system they pass on the people

 

Semi-true - Prior to the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as ACA, or Obamacare), members of Congress received the same healthcare insurance benefits as any other federal employee through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, or FEHBP.During the mark-up of the ACA bill, however, lawmakers inserted a provision (Section 1312(d)(3)(D)) that requires members of Congress and designated congressional staff members to obtain their health insurance through ACA exchanges rather than continue to receive their healthcare coverage through the FEHBP.

 

As of 1 January 2014, Members of Congress (MOC) and Congressional staff purchase their insurance through the District of Columbia’s small business health options program (SHOP) exchange, also known as DC Health Link. Contrary to popular belief, Congressional members do not receive free health care. As it does for other federal employees who purchase their insurance through the FEHBP, the federal government provides a subsidy equivalent to 72 percent of the weighted average of all FEHBP premiums.

Therefore, MOC and staff pay approximately 28 percent of their annual healthcare premiums through pre-tax payroll deductions.

Although DC’s SHOP offers a total of 57 different ACA insurance plans at the bronze, silver, gold and platinum levels, the Office of Personnel Management has ruled that MOC and staff may only receive the employer contribution if they purchase insurance at the gold tier. If we look solely at the District of Columbia’s SHOP health plans and federal employer contributions, Members of Congress receive benefits very similar to those enjoyed by any employee of a large company.

 

The bottom line is this: Members of Congress and their staff members are required by law to purchase their health insurance through the exchanges offered by the Affordable Care Act. However, the federal government subsidizes approximately 72 percent of the premium cost.

 

http://www.snopes.com/members-congress-health-care/

 

Their kids do not have to pay back student loans if there is any 

 

False - There are student loan repayment programs that may be offered to eligible House and Senate staffers, but those programs have annual and lifetime caps. It’s possible that some congressional staffers will not have to repay their student loans, but that depends on how much they owe and how long they remain on staff. It is also worth pointing out that a similar program exists for executive branch employees, so congressional staffers aren’t the only ones receiving this benefit. All of the programs were created to help recruit and retain qualified employees. No more than $60,000 in the House and $40,000 in the Senate can be forgiven and only if the employee stays on the job for several years. These plans are only for employees - members of Congress and their family are specifically excluded.

 

http://www.factcheck.org/2011/01/congress-not-exempt-from-student-loans/

 

They vote themselves healthy pay raises in the midst of people having to decide between buying their meds or food

 

False - Under the 1989 Ethics Reform Act, congressional members’ pay is determined through a formula based on changes in the private sector as measured by the Employment Cost Index. Congress has frozen its pay 11 times in the past 20 years, according to data compiled by the Congressional Research Service. In 2014, when lawmakers were considering the fiscal 2015 legislative branch spending bill, then-Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., unsuccessfully offered an amendment to that bill during the committee process that would have provided lawmakers who live 50 miles outside of Washington with a $25 housing stipend for every day Congress was in session. It would have applied to future Congresses since sitting lawmakers are prohibited from changing their own pay while in office. Moran, a 23-year House veteran who lives in Northern Virginia just 10 miles outside of Washington, retired from Congress at the end of 2014.

 

NOTE:  Doesn't mean I don't think they're overpaid - Rank-and-file members of Congress now receive an annual salary of $174,000; the House Speaker earns $223,500 per year, while the Senate president pro tempore and the majority and minority leaders in both chambers each receive an annual salary of $193,400. 

 

Their entitlements and benefits are enormous

Semi-true - Not sure I'd say enormous - but they are pretty darn good!

 

Senators and representatives can deduct on their income tax form up to $3,000 per year of their living expenses while out of their districts.

Each representative receives an office allotment known as an MRA. This money can be used, for example, to pay for staff salaries, postage expenses, office supplies and travel expenses. The MRA cannot be used for any campaign-related expenses, and the actual allowance amount is calculated using factors such as the distance between a district and Washington, D.C. In 2012, MRAs ranged from $1.27 million to $1.56 million. The average allowance was $1.35 million.

 

For senators, their version of the MRA is called the SOPOEA. Like the MRA, this account can be used to pay for staff salaries and office-related expenses such as mailings, travel reimbursements and supplies. Senators also use these accounts to maintain their district offices. As with representative allowances, the SOPOEA cannot be used to pay for campaign-related expenses. The Congressional Research Service notes the accounts ranged from $2.96 million to $4.69 million in 2012, with an average of $3.2 million.

 

https://www.moneytalksnews.com/the-perks-of-being-a-congressman-are-they-overpaid/

[Theseus]

4 hours ago, Heavyduty053 said:

I will say this...it has taken them years to get their salaries to where they don't care how long they stay in or lose an election...their pay is the same

 

I want to point out the above post while mostly correct is not true for every Congress critter. First time Congress critter's are not afforded the luxury until they have been in office for awhile. The misnomer that everyone who goes to the Hill is rich is false. They spent months and months fundraising for their campaigns and have spent almost every dime to enact change for their constituents and yet when they get to the Hill they sleep on cots in their offices  because they cannot afford the expensive apartment rent in DC. Keep this in mind when you brand everyone on the Hill with the same brush. Things take time to ramp up, they just don't magically appear once they have been elected for the first time. One of the very reasons I do agree with you and why we need a Constitutional Convention to enact term limits on the critters on the Hill. 

Edited July 27, 2017 by Theseus

[George Hayduke]

Thanks Tankdude, you beat me to it - I'd seen a similar email about 4 years ago and everybody in my neck of the woods was running around like chickens with their heads cut off lamenting and crying Unfair, Unfair...

 

There is no doubt some of our representatives are in office for the power and perks but I believe most are there because they are truly trying to help the nation.

[Heavyduty053]

Fact remains that it is not about Republican or Democrat or who's president....its about doing what's right and like I said God will take care of that if they can't find out how to for themselves.