THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 28, 1995 TAG: 9501270043
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
The first legislation to clear both Houses of the new Congress subjects the institution to many of the same laws that affect other parts of the federal government. But members of Congress missed one important exception. Pensions. Their own pensions.
Deficit hawk Sen. Phil Gramm claims unconvincingly to have been unaware that congressional retirement benefits are a gilded perk. Yet the issue has long been a talk-radio staple. When Newt Gingrich entered the House, he refused noisily to become part of the system, claiming it was too rich for his blood and a waste of taxpayer dollars. Yet five years ago, Gingrich quietly reversed himself and joined the system.
It's easy to see why. Unlike other federal employees, members of Congress can retire as early as age 50, and some receive full benefits immediately. Built-in cost-of-living adjustments keep pumping up the payouts. The Wall Street Journal reports, for example, that U.S. Sen. George Smathers, who retired in 1969 with a $30,000 salary, is now raking in $78,000.
Pensions for members are also calculated using a higher accrual rate than for other federal employees, so the same years of service earn a higher dividend for members. And the longer a member stays, the more rewarding that becomes - an encouragement for members to linger.
Members may argue that a career in Congress is precarious - they can lose their jobs at any time and so deserve a cushier safety net. But these days, who isn't at risk? In fact, incumbents are rarely turned out of office. Besides, the self-described Republican revolutionaries now running Washington inveigh against the whole idea of career politicians and advocate term limits. They want to bring back citizen-legislators who serve the country briefly, then return to private life.
In light of that, special treatment for Congress is especially out of place. Did Cincinnatus insist on lush perks? Such favored treatment ought to be anathema to the members. Their fancy pension plan should go. If the same retirement benefits that all other federal workers receive aren't good enough for these ``citizen-legislators,'' no one is forcing them to serve in Congress. by CNB