Congressmen/Senators/Presidents should not get lifetime salaries after leaving office. When their term is over, the pay and benefits stop. Normal Americans do not get lifetime pay from employers, our representatives should be no different.
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Presidents I can see getting lifetime salary, for congressman and senators I don’t think they should.
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I agree. Hard for a former President to get a normal job. I do advocate for a Senator or House Member to NOT be paid for lifetime salary.
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I’ve yet to see a President/Congressman/Senator do bad financially ofter office. Most Senators engage in illegal stock trading in addition to that we pay their salary for life. This is not okay. Obama got a $70M book deal after office for his book. So did his wife Michelle. The Bushes (Sr/ and Jr) went back to Oil money, book deals, and human trafficking. I agree, they should not continue getting our hard earned money. How much has Nancy Pelosi made on the stock market doing illegal trades? If she were to step down, we must keep paying her salary while she continues to earn $1M+++ per week?
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I agree, lifetime salaries/pensions should not be provided for elected officials. I also think this idea should be tied to term limits mentioned in other policy suggestions. As to the concern about of a former President not being able to get a normal job, that might be true or at least unlikely, but that in no way means they would have limitations on being able to earn money after leaving office. Even without a lifetime salary/pension, I believe any former President would have plenty of opportunity to capitalize after leaving office with book deals, speaking engagements, and potential consulting gigs, potentially earning far more than they would have been able to earn at any normal job. I would suggest maybe a severance package rather than a lifetime salary/pension for the President and for other elected officials maybe counting their, hopefully, soon to be limited time in office at a different rate (ie. 1 year = 1.1 or 1.25 years) into the social security system (not a separate system) most Americans retire under would provide some reward for their service to our country.
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Sadly it would be congressmen and senators who would have to vote this into law!
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It was Mark Twain who advanced this practice, on behalf of his friend Ulysses S. Grant. Grant had a bit of a problem with alcohol and also wasn’t a very good investor. Near the end of his life, stricken with cancer, Grant faced homelessness. Twain thought that would be a great indignity for a former president. Thus, we now pay politicians long after they’ve left their posts. Much as I love Twain, I think he was wrong about this. Incidentally, congressional representatives initially were only paid per diem when/if they showed up to vote. Sounds right. Also, I rather think that they should get no more than what the average Americans earns.
Rob C, why not turn this into a more detail policy. Find out which Act led to this practice and write a bill proposing that it be repealed. Also maybe the 27th Amendment needs to be repealled. https://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment27.html
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Sounds great to me! May I add that their yearly salary match the average salary? I believe this would draw more every day hard working people into the political spectrum.
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I can see a reason for lifetime salary for presidents, but it should not be nearly as much.
All elected officials should never get lifetime salaries. They should pay into social security like the rest of us, be eligible to pay into a 401k like the rest of us with matching employer funds during their term limit and be transferable, just like the normal working class.
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Agreed​:sunglasses:
100% agree. No one disagrees other than the ones receiving it.
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They should also take the Obama care. If we the people are stuck with that so should they! And any time they have a pay increase or change in their salary, that should be voted on at their state level wither the people who put them in office think they deserve a raise!
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All members should be compensated for their services. Based on average salary in the country.
Average salary example: 50k/year. If you make more than 5x that, you get 10%. If you make less than 50k, say 30k, you get an 70k benefit.
This will encourage more equality of opportunities…this is just an example… numbers not accurate.
This also means we can’t have pharma money corruption.
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Due to presidents not being able to hold other public offices once they have served their 2 terms, I believe they should keep their pay and benifits once leaving office. Congress is a different story, they should not be able to keep their salaries once they leave office. Also I believe while they are in office their pay should be the median salary of the area they represent plus per diem when they go to washington for in person voting(in person is the only time their vote should be recorded). As for medical, they should get the same medical as the military while serving, and only while serving( which means only the member gets taken care of and their family members get the same tri-care that military dependants get. They should not be allowed to travel to other countries on the tax payer dime unless at the direction of the President in some official delegation capacity. Additionally i believe that anyone serving in congress or as the President or a member of the Presidents administrations, and person running for President or for a congressional seat, should have to take an oath of truth to the people and be considered as under oath when speaking to the media, the public, or on the floore of the House or Senate. If they break this oath and it is proven, they should be dealt with exactly the same as anyone else who gets convicted of perjury.
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Bill Clinton never seemed to have a problem finding other jobs. He was paid handsomely to do public speaking engagements at universities.
I am not sure there is a lifetime salary for congress. I think they get a retirement based on the number of years served but they don’t get it until retirement age. Full retirement would be serving for 20 years. If I am wrong please let me know.
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Wait! Don’t ban this before I get to be in Congress, and then it’s “Grandfathered In” !!!
-Mo