Golden Fleece Awards to former members of Congress

Senator Proxmire used to give The Golden Fleece Award to various government expenditures that he believed were a waste of the people's money.  Our Congress now has an approval rate of 11%.  No matter:  it pays to be there if for no other reason than the salaries and benefits they have voted for themselves.  Here are the retirement pay amounts for some former members of Congress:

·        former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt: $106,512 for 28 years as a Missouri congressman;

·        former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle: $105,804 for 33 years as representative from South Dakota;

·        former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole: $144,432 for 40 years as representative from Kansas;

·        former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott: $110,352 after 39 years as a representative of Mississippi. 

·        Former Vice President Dick Cheney: $125,976, for 28 years as, Wyoming congressman, Secretary of Defense, White House chief of staff, and 8 years as VP;

·        former House Speaker Newt Gingrich: $100,200 for 20 years in Congress. Bloomberg News notes without comment that Gingrich “has argued as a Republican presidential candidate that government employees ought to shoulder more of the burden for planning their retirements.” [Source: BillMoyers.com]

Remember:  Such amounts they will be taking in every year for the rest of their lives.


Comment by someone serving in American government:
Meanwhile, my pay has been frozen for the last two years and will be for the foreseeable future. Thanks, Congress! Federal employees sure are out to soak the government... it's good you're shaving .005% off the deficit by asking us to take a hit.