It’s no secret that times are tough for many Long Islanders. And while families across New York struggle to make ends meet, many former Members of Congress are earning millions as high-powered lobbyists – while, at the same time, earning a taxpayer-funded retirement pension. That is unacceptable especially as estimates show taxpayers pay roughly $25 million annually in pensions for former Members of Congress.
After serving in Congress for five years, Members are eligible to receive a benefit at retirement age. But, if you ask me, the taxpayer shouldn’t be subsidizing the retirement costs of former Members of Congress who are working as millionaire lobbyists.
That’s why I’ve introduced the Congressional Double Dipping Pension Prevention Act. My bill would prohibit former Members of Congress who become lobbyists and earn more than a million dollars a year from receiving their congressional pension.
Taxpayers are having a hard enough time paying their bills with their salary or their own pensions without having to worry about paying for millionaires too. In tough economic times such as these, we need to find ways to make our government more efficient. Common sense cuts must include former Members of Congress turned-lobbyists who need to make sacrifices alongside their former constituents.
Why should congressmen get to keep their pensions and earn upwards of a million dollars? I felt that keeping the pension was right as they've earned that through their service to the country. However, being a lobbyist is trying to influence congress, so it's in the same "field". Therefore, the salary earned as a lobbyist should be capped at say $80,000, or about 1/2 of their former congressional salary. Or, an alternative would be to not allow them to become lobbyists either at all or after say five years or so. Earning $1,000,000 just because you are an "insider" to a congressional past shouldn't be allowed.
If they care so much, they will still keep writing, and then I may be inclined to listen to either of them. For now, though, anything that Labate or Israel post is simply political posturing, and cheap campaign propaganda.
Long Island has, what, five members of the House, including the two best known, Steve Israel and Peter King. It is just as stupid to credit any member of the House for things that go right, as it is stupid to blame one of them for things that go wrong. But, that's what happens in an election year; the political clowns will do just what some posters on this site have done. So, for those praising Israel, and for those complaining about Israel, you can expect the truth to be twisted and distorted all over the place. As for me, I may not vote for Israel, but I sure the hell won't vote for this Labate wing-nut radical. I wish we still had Jerry Ambro to represent the 2nd CD, or I wish that a logical non-nut-job fiscally responsible & socially rational moderate would be nominated by the Republicans.
How about he offer a proposal for term limits so we can toss out the dead wood like himself and while he is at it he can add the elimination of all pensions for elected officials along with the other benefits they receive after leaving office.
Perhaps he should stick to renaming Post Offices. In 12 Years as our failed congressman the only 2 bills he authored that we're signed into law was the renaming of 2 post offices.