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Teachers and firefighters aren't lazy overpaid slobs. But Congress is.
If we want to cut our deficit, one place to start might be with Congressional salaries and lifetime benefits they get off of the taxpayer's dime. ALEC wants to destroy the pension system for other public workers but you can pretty much bet that Congress is excluded from that effort. There is no reason however, that they should be. Let them eat their own dog food ie: work for a living wage only, and for only as long as they are in office. Let them use the same healthcare and retirement systems the rest of America's workers must use. This alone would result in a permanent repair of both our healthcare and social security systems in a flash. And it would result in a Congress that unlike the current, and most past Congresses, recognizes and cares about the issues facing ordinary Americans and their families because our Congressional members would be facing those same issues themselves.
Congress certainly does not earn and does not need these exorbitant lifetime salaries and benefits we pay them, being the millionaire's club that it is. And this gives lie to the "poor are poor because they're lazy" meme. Congress is hideously lazy and most of them are millionaires who got that wealthy during or after taking office. Running for office (thanks to our "money-buys-you-a-Congressperson" election system) is increasingly expensive. That is yet another reason that publicly funded elections would be much more cost-effective and Democratically effective as well.
Congress certainly does not earn and does not need these exorbitant lifetime salaries and benefits we pay them, being the millionaire's club that it is. And this gives lie to the "poor are poor because they're lazy" meme. Congress is hideously lazy and most of them are millionaires who got that wealthy during or after taking office. Running for office (thanks to our "money-buys-you-a-Congressperson" election system) is increasingly expensive. That is yet another reason that publicly funded elections would be much more cost-effective and Democratically effective as well.
MORE...
http://www.sevenbowie.com/2013/01/teachers-and-firefighters-arent-lazy-overpaid-slobs-but-congress-is/
In this thread, people asked what they can do about these issues. For one, we can advocate for the overturning of Citizens United and publicly funded elections along with other election reforms, join and support labor unions, work to break up the media. That's three things. It would help to reduce Congress's benefits (salary and benefit-wise) to those of an average American worker, as well. Easy stuff to do? Oh hell no. But we have to DO something besides lay down and give up - and these things are decent places to start. Oh and another thing - expose all this crap everywhere and every chance you get. It's why I blog and use social media and talk to anyone who will listen.
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