lifetime health and pension benefits the likes of which most of us could only dream about. :mad:
And, even spending time in jail will not deprive them of those benefits.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/congress_benefits
Lawmakers Never Faced With Losing Benefits
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
Members of Congress occasionally lose elections, but they never lose retirement and health benefits that most Americans can only envy.
A lawmaker who retires at 60 after just 12 years in office can count on receiving an immediate pension of $25,000 a year and lifetime benefits that could total more than $800,000.
That doesn't include 401(k) benefits. And any member who lasts five years in office also can get taxpayer-subsidized health care until he or she reaches Medicare age.
Congressional pensions tend to be far more generous than those offered in the private sector. Benefits start earlier and — unlike most private pension plans promising a fixed monthly payment based on years worked and pay — come with annual cost-of-living increases. They also accrue a third faster than the average plan offered by private companies.
Any member of Congress with five years of service is eligible for full benefits at 62. Those with 20 years in office can get full benefits at 50, younger than most workers.
Cost-of-living adjustments, a shield against inflation, "haven't been slightly common since the 1980s" in the private sector, said John Ehrhardt, an expert in corporate retirement programs at the Seattle-based consulting and actuarial firm Milliman. He said COLAs could add 25 percent to the value of a congressional plan over its lifetime.
More at link....
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