Name:   Talullahhound - Subject:   A tapestry Date:   1/16/2020 12:22:46 PM

Just to clarify - they have to serve 30 years in Congress to get a pension and it's 50% of their base pay.  That information floating around that they get a huge pension for life just for being there is not correct.  I do believe they get to carry their government health insurance even when they no longer serve, just for having been there; but it's not free.  (If you don't believe me, google it).  

What they do get when they leave is entree to serve in think tanks, boards of Directors, and after a fashion, they can become lobbyists.  They go on the rubber chicken circuit and get paid $$$$ for their insights into government.  And they can run again.  

I think 70 is a reasonable mandatory retirement.  Despite what social media pundits have to say, 70 is not the new 50.  Yes, there are those that are extremely healthy and fit at 70, but they are not the norm.  

The most disgusting thing to me about Congress is the way people kiss their butts and how they expect it.  If they serve any time at all, they quickly become so insulated from the real world.  And if their butts aren't kissed to their satisfaction, they threaten people, as we see in all these hearings.  That is not just for the camera - I've been in meeting with staffers, no less, and seen them threaten to have a budget pulled.