Since moving from the States, I haven't gotten many of these "PLEASE FWD TO 20 PEOPLE. IMPORTANT!!!" messages. The people who used to send them pretty much know I moved away to avoid them and have quit writing. I got one today though and, since I actually have some regard for the sender, I wrote her back. (I suspect she'll defriend me on fb though.)
Here is the original message:
Greedy Immoral Americans!!
Please Keep This One Moving Please!
(Note that there are two pictures included, one of a young serviceman with half of his face scarred, standing at attention in his dress uniform. The next is a picture of him shaking hands across a brass rail with some older gentlemen (politicians??) on the other side. I truly regret having never been able to embed pictures at this point. They were quite effective at getting a point across)
No one has been able to explain to me why young men and women serve in the U.S. Military for 20 years, risking their lives protecting freedom, and only get 50% of their pay. While Politicians hold their political positions in the safe confines of the capital, protected by these same men and women, and receive full pay retirement after serving one term. It just does not make any sense.
Monday on Fox news they learned that the staffers of Congress family members are exempt from having to pay back student loans. This will get national attention if other news networks will broadcast it. When you add this to the below, just where will all of it stop?
35 States file lawsuit against the Federal Government
Governors of 35 states have filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon them. It only takes 38 (of the 50) States to convene a Constitutional Convention.
This will take less than thirty seconds to read. If you agree, please pass it on.
This is an idea that we should address.
For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform... in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop.
If each person that receives this will forward it on to 20 people, in three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message.. This is one proposal that really should be passed around.
Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution: "Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States."
You are one of my 20 +++++++ !!
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Caveats: NONE
This was my reply:
I got your Fwd about the 28th Amendment and decided to write back, not that I particularly disagree with holding Congress to the same standards as anyone else, but because, the message, while truthy, had a whiff of propaganda about it. The pictures were carefully chosen: the service member was handsome though obviously damaged, but not appalling enough to alienate the viewer. The next photo, where the soldier is being greeted by the politician over a barrier is an obvious reference to separation, and if you look behind the main figures, the theme is repeated the background, most of the ‘suits’ are on the right, but their clothes are shabbier, they are fatter, and they are older.
Beyond that, the text is slanted toward two particular populations: those about to retire, most of whom will be getting very little pension at all, and recent students. This hits the two largest demographic bulges in America quite nicely.
Congressional pensions are generous: members pay 1.3% of their salary into it and get back 2-3 times what they could expect from the private sector…indexed for inflation. They also have a 401K that the taxpayer matches .05 for every dollar they contribute. Nonetheless they do not retire at full pay. (Keefe 2009) Likewise, the statement that “staffers of Congress family members are exempt from paying back student loans.” Do they mean Congressional staffers, those of family members, or are they implying that family members themselves have their loans forgiven? In any case, there is a provision for loan repayment for staffers and their children, capped at $10,000 annually or $60,000 total. The Senate provision is less generous, topping out at $40,000 annually. The DOE also begin to provide student loan forgiveness for people who work in any ‘public service job’ for ten years, which will include not only Congressional staffers, but almost anyone working in any federal, state, or local government. Since the law was passed in 2007, it will only take effect in 2017. (Kiely 2011)
Given that the e-mailed statements have only a passing acquaintance with the truth, you have to ask what the motivation is behind promoting a 28th Amendment at all, especially to the two demographics that are presently vulnerable in this particular recession. Congressmen do indeed receive perks the general population can only dream of (Keefe), but none of them would be affected by passing this amendment. This e-mail is designed to provoke outrage and disgust, but beyond a general feeling of malaise, what does it accomplish, and why was it written?
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Keefe, B. (2009). “Lawmakers get bounty of benefits”, Atlanta Journal Constitution (26-11). Available online: http://www.ajc.com/...
Kiely, E. (2011). “Congress Not Exempt From Student Loans” (06-01) FactCheck.org/ Annenberg Public Policy Center. Available online: http://www.factcheck.org/...
P.S. Forgive me for being wordy, but the facts often are. I'm also working on a paper where, if I say the sun rises in the East, I better have a Richard Attenborough reference handy for the bibliography. I didn't hit the "reply all" button, tempting as it was, but a lot of this kind of rabble rousing goes around in the States, and it isn't helping the country to address the very real problems it's facing.
If you get one of these e-mails, you're welcome to cut and paste. On the other hand, you could always say, "What are you, an idiot?? Due diligence please."