This is part 2 in a 2 part series about Congressional Crooks.
In this part we will talk about why it’s good to be a member of Congress.
Let’s look at a few examples of how life is different for Congress Critters than it is for you and me.
Sexual Harassment
Gina was a Director of Marketing at a mid-sized firm (less than 2000 employees), and she had a staff of 6. One of those staff members was Trevor, who was in charge of the firm’s digital marketing program. Trevor, was in a word, hot, and Gina really liked how he looked.
But Gina was a bit worried that one day Trevor could take her j to put him in his place like she had all the other threats to her empire. She began harassing him. She’d caress him as she walked by; she’d discretely grope him in the elevator; she told him that the path to a promotion lay in her bedroom (and he better perform well). Trevor complained to HR, who did an investigation, and found that Gina had a pattern of harassment. She got fired, and the company paid a settlement to Trevor.
Congressman X has been in Congress for a long, long, long time. He’s groped his female staff; he’s shown up at meetings late at night in his underwear. Some former staffers received settlements for the harassment. He’s still in office.
That’s the difference between the private sector and Congress. In the private sector, there are consequences for bad behavior—Gina was fired, and the company had to pay money to the aggrieved. In Congress, the offender is still there, and You and I paid for those settlements out of our tax dollars.
Perk #1—Taxpayer funded sexual harassment settlements.
Travel
We all know what it’s like to travel for business or pleasure these days. You spend hours searching for the right fare at the right price. You agonize over seat selection—do you want to pay an extra $40 for 3 inches of leg room? You try to find the right place to park—at the airport or Econo Lot or Uber. You wonder if you’ll make your connection. You are forced to pay change fees if something goes wrong.
Not for a member of Congress! They get free, reserved parking at DC airports. They have somebody who is on call at the travel desk 24/7. And the perkiest travel perk of all—they can reserve seats on multiple flights, but only pay for the one they use!! How awesome is that!
Office Budgets
We get our annual budget from on high, and agonize over whether we should buy paper clips or dry erase markers. And somebody is tasked with filing reports on how that money is spent.
A member of the House gets an average allowance of $1.27 million to spend anyway he wants. As long as no Federal laws are broken. Except we know that Congress can pick and choose which laws apply, and which don’t. $1.27 million, and nobody has to generate a spending report.
Retirement
What’s the biggest worry for most people, aside from the day to day grind? Retirement! You and I will have put aside money in our 401Ks and other savings account, hoping that we will have acquired enough to last us through our Golden Years. We also have to worry about whether or not we will be bankrupted by our constantly rising Obamacare premiums.
But our members of Congress are spared this concern. Their healthcare costs are subsidized by you and me. They don’t need to worry whether or not they’ll have to slip to the Bronze plan this year. It’s all taken care of. And there’s a House Physician on call at the Capitol anyway.
Retirement? Stay in Congress longer than 10 years, and you can retire on a lifetime pension of 80% of your highest salary. Since our Congress Critters are an average of $174,000, that means Luis Gutierrez will be forced to get by on $139,000 per year (in addition to getting hired as a lobbyist or agitator).
And a death benefit? Upon the death of a member of Congress in office, their family will receive a payout equal to a year's salary ($174,000). Meanwhile, the one-time death gratuity for family members of military personnel killed in action is $100,000.
Other Fun Stuff
Members of Congress get lifetime access to a tax-payer funded gym, parking in Congressional lots, and the ability to dine in the Members’ Dining Rooms. Oh, and they’ll always have the courtesy title of Representative or Senator.
No wonder nobody wants to reform anything in Washington. It may be a swamp, but it’s a well-appointed one.