While members of Congress receive excellent pay,health care, and
expensive perks and benefits, they target the needy and want to make
devastating cuts to programs like SNAP (food stamps), and "Meals On
Wheels", that millions of citizens depend upon to put food on the table.
They also want to make cuts to Social Security and Medicare, that we
have paid for out of every paycheck.
They want to make budget cuts that will hurt the most needy individuals,
yet they do not go without. Most Americans have experienced pay cuts.
Members of Congress and the Senate should also give themselves a paycut,
be forced to change health care benefits, and receive the same benefits
under the Affordable Health Care Act as everyone else. They should be
forced to forfeit pensions, and eliminate, or make cuts to perks and
other benefits they reap, if they are truly concerned with saving the
government money, and decreasing the deficit.
Here is a list of the perks and benefits they receive:
1. Free parking spaces at the airport in Washington, D.C.
2. A generous pension, which is guaranteed to all members of Congress
and the Senate if they have held office for 5 years or more. They also
are entitled to Social Security benefits. They should be forced to
forfeit this pension, and receive only Social Security benefits like
everyone else!
In addition to this pension, Speaker of the House John Boehner will
receive an additional $1 million per year, for up to 5 years, after he
leaves office, "to facilitate the administration, settlement and
conclusion of matters, pertaining to, or arising out of" his tenure as
Speaker of the House. This provision will also allow him to rack up huge
bills, to "archive" and document materials related to his time in
office.
3. Senators get to shop at the equivalent of Congress' IKEA, furniture
supplied through the Architect of the Capitol. Every senator gets
$40,000, and potentially more, for furniture in their home-state
offices.
4. Members of Congress can deduct up to $3,000 for expenses while outside their home districts or states.
Taxpayers are paying for all of this! Time for Congress and the Senate
to make cuts to their own salaries and benefits, to decrease government
spending and the deficit!
I demand that my elected officials in the Senate and Congress look
elsewhere to make budget cuts, starting with their own paycheck, health
insurance and other perks and benefits they receive, instead of
targeting the poor, elderly and disabled. If they expect others to go
without, it's time they did also!
http://www.petition2congress.com/7187/congress-senate-should-receive-cuts-to-their-benefits-not-needy/