SNOPES TO THE RESCUE AGAIN

I received one of those chain Emails yesterday that focused on Congressional pay rates for retirees and their staff.

Turns out most of the assumptions were false. I actually visited Snopes.com to check up on it. 

1. Congressmen collect full pay until death. False.

Their pension is determined by length of time served, when they got to congress, age of retirement and what program they participated in while serving. Their retiring income cannot exceed 80% of their working pay.

2. Congressmen don't pay into Soc Security. False.

Since 1984, they have been paying into Social Security just like everyone else. Prior to that they were in a separate program for Civil Servants. (CSRS) which was closed to government employees after 1983.

3. Congressional members are exempt from prosecution for sexual harassment. False.

The Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 placed all government employees and elected into the same category. It was included with the protections against discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender and national origin. Which has since been updated to include sexual orientation.

4. Members and staff are exempt from the Healthcare Act. False.

Members, their family and staff only have access to plans that are created by the bill and required to have the same minimum standard of coverage dictated by the legislation.

5. 35 Governors have filed suit against the Fed for unlawful burden on states. False.

The Email has been going around for years now. The insertion of this comment happened about a year ago since the passing of Healthcare Reform. It takes 38 state legislatures (two thirds) to call for a Constitutional Convention but it takes three quarters to actually amend it. No such group of Governors have made efforts to bring the "28th Amendment" forward or pushed for a convention for that matter.

 

Below is the basic point of the Email:
 

"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States."

I think there are words like this somewhere already.