"The 535!"

I wish this piece could have a heroic theme like the movie "The 300," you know....the valiant Spartan warriors who fought "to the last man" against hundreds of thousands of invading Persian barbarians. But it doesn't.

Unfortunately, it's not even a story about hero's. Rather, it's a list of ridiculousness foisted upon the American people by the feckless men and women who make up Congress. This is the "ridiculousness" we have come to accept as government.

I just get so angry and feel so powerless when I see "them" on television. ANY of them! Don't get me wrong...this is not a piece slamming the Democrats, oh no! I'm not writing this to rail against Liberals - I'm writing this INCLUSIVELY!! Republicans as well as Democrats, Conservatives as well as Liberals, Progressives as well as ...whatever the opposite of progressives are, is. As far as I'm concerned, "they all stink to high Heaven" as my dear Mother used to say!

Frankly I'd call the whole bunch of them "whores," but that would be casting aspersions on a group of folks who actually DO SOMETHING for a living!

What did "Archie" use to call his son-in-law? That's it..."meathead." They're all meatheads...535 of them,"dead from the neck up!"

In 1948, Harry Truman had a wonderful campaign speech against the "Do Nothing Congress." That was the 80th Congress, and although that House of Representatives only met for 108 days, that Congress created the CIA, the AirForce, and the office of the Secretary of Defense. Compare that to our modern 109th Congress that met for only 103 days! And the current 110th Congress, that will meet for even less time than that. Maybe the first thing we should do is declare that "The Do Nothing Congress" is not only a perpetual title - but a job description.

Imagine, being elected to represent all the people of the state you live in. What an honor! And actually performing the duties of your office, for less than a third of that time each year, a little over 100 days. Do you want to hear how "sleazily" they talk about the time they spend governing? When she was elected Speaker, Nancy Pelosi said that she was going to end scheduling abuses and insist that the lower house stay in session five days each week! In truth, House of Representative sessions start at 6:30 PM on Monday and close at 2:00 PM each Friday. So, she's speaking the truth, but is she actually telling the truth?

Let's be clear and honest, and call a spade a spade. Congress "governs" you and I for about a third of each year if we're lucky. If not, it could be as little as 90 or a hundred days, but lets call it 120 days just to make the calculations easier. That's four months a year! How hard do you have to work every week? 40 hours - 60 hours - more? When was the last time you got an 8 month vacation?

So how much do you make a year in salary? Congressmen and women make $165,200 for about 4 months work! (Just so's ya know....Congressfolks have more than doubled their salaries since 1987! Have you?) Leadership makes more...Speaker Pelosi makes $212,100 and Leader Harry Reid makes $183,500.

What about your medical coverage? Congresspersons, their spouses, significant others, children under the age of 22, are covered by the Federal Employee Health Benefit program. They get to choose from 19 different health care programs. Tax payers pick up about 75% of each member's tab and members get in-hospital super secure VIP treatment at Walter Reed Hospital. After 8 years of service as a member of Congress, health care benefits are guaranteed for life as a "retiree" from Congress, whenever the member looses their seat.

And your pension plan has got your retirement covered? Congressional pension benefits are 2-3 times more generous than what a similarly-salaried executive could expect to receive upon retiring from the private sector. And Congressional pensions are fully vested after serving two terms (only 8 years service).

So let's see on pensions that'd be 2 to 3 times more lucrative for about....8 years service at 4 months a year, that's about 24, 25 months total work. Cool! What a deal huh?

Let's summarize.

• Congress folks make about 350% of the U.S. median household income of $48,000. each year - but they do it in a third of the time.



• Congress folks, their spouses/significant others, and minor children are all covered by a laundry list of benefit plans that they can choose from, for which you and I pick up three quarters of the costs, which continues fully during their retirement.



• Congress folks have a fully vested, (2 to 3 times more lucrative pension than you or I will have), after a total of a bit more than 2 years work, and they'll retire on about 80% of their final salary.

Would someone please convince me that we're not going to hell in a handbasket! Look, don't take my word for it, just go online and "search" for any of these major topics I've listed. How in the world can we be aware of this and allow these "scoundrels" to continue to run our government down the tubes? And I haven't even begun to talk about hiring family members, lobbyists and earmarks! (OK, just a little "taste"... in 2006 there were 17 Senators and 17 Representatives - both Democrat and Republican - who received at least $500,000 from lobbyists! "Outrage" pgs: 149 - 150)

How can we even begin to make this a better country for our children and grandchildren, when we "breed" elitist Congresspeople, who don't see anything wrong with accepting money from special interest groups? These are the same people who scream that were ruining the country with CO2 emissions and our dependence on foreign oil, but won't let us tap into huge oil fields in 2% of a small Alaskan Wildlife area or build wind or nuclear power generators anywhere near their families homes. One Congressional group says we have to have "it" the other group says we can't allow them to have "it," so around and around they go blocking each other and our country goes nowhere! You can't govern this way. One side says "White," the other says "Black" - and neither side allows shades of gray! It's just stupid.

Congress is broken! As a country we can't go on like this. We gotta go back to the beginning and start over!

I'd suggest we start with a "national civics lesson." Start with a detailed televised educational program on the Constitution and it's amendments, include the Bill of Rights and the Federalist Papers as well. Have it hosted by constitutional experts - not network talking heads! Have round table discussions about what government is and what it is not. Make

the people understand once again what this country was supposed to be - and not what it's become!

Then move on to the country's "needs"....national security, energy resources and production, education, immigration, alternative fuels, global non-warming .... let's get a recogonized and agreed upon panel of experts and for a week or two weeks pre-empt EVERYTHING on television - EVERY channel, EVERY hour, EVERY night and day. And lets get educated about our Republic. Cause this sure as "sh - -" ain't workin!"

If the Congressional or Executive incumbents aren't willing to change afterward, throw the whole lot of them out! Hell, they had a recall in California, why can't we do it anywhere it's necessary? And if the people you next put in there don't govern properly - vote them out and keep doing it until you have the right people in office!

My final thought is that right now as you're reading this, there are 535 pretentious "mandarins" in Washington DC - who are doing what they want - and not what we want! They're getting fat, rich, and feathering their own nests on our "dime!" They've becoming our rulers, rather than people we selected to govern as our representatives.

This is no way to run our Republic!

Dum Spiro Spero!