I think that sucks!! We vote them into office WE should be able to do something to stop this, you know congress will do nothing cuz they're all crooks!!
Thanks

Why should those in political office still collect money? I think that anyone who is accused should be stripped of everything. Pensions included. If it happens to people, why should in congress/senate be above the law?

Why should we be surprised at this news. Legislation to prevent this has been held up in "conference negotiations" since May, this is rediculous. We the poeple should be the ones voting on their salary increases, pension plans, etc. Our elected representatives slyly attach their perks, and pork to important worthwhile legislation every chance they get. And they wonder why the American people think Washington is currupt.
Ever notice that they never vote to reduce or eliminate these special perks they have seen fit to provide for themselves.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Call and write to your Congressman and Senators and demand that they fix this "Loophole."
I don't care what party affiliation you have, We can affect change if we make enough noise and vote wisely. After all, Election day is only a few weeks away.

We need to stop paying anyone for job well done or not, let them be just like everyone else and work til you die....As for Foley stop putting him in the news. He should go to jail...And I don't care if it happened to him as a child he should have gotten help when he matured...he is a sick individual.He is a sick person.

They are all in the same boat. All of them so nothing will ever get done about the money they make what it boils down to is the American's get screwed....

We Americans are not smart because we whine and keep voting in the same people....

Don't conplain until you vote and particitate....

If I were to get fired from my job, my pension would disappear.
Why should the rules be different for members of Congress who resign or are indicted on criminal charges?

Just another example of our governments waste of money.

What a disgrace - something should be done about this! All Politicians & most members of Congress are liers, cheaters, and crooks.They all cheat on their spouses and are sex deviants.

I think we should all clean house. Get rid of all of them. Then pay the new reps. $30,000.00 a year.
See what it is like to be poor in the USA.

This would be an entirely different country if Congress persons (and the rest of the government) were forced to live by the laws and the rules and the limits they dictate to the rest of us.

What about Bill Clinton? Didn't he disgrace his office and he is still collecting his pension.

Sounds like a double standard report. ABC have an agenda here?

I think payment should not be made to anyone who disgraces their profession as these guys have. As taxpayers, we're using our hard-earned money rewarding them for being slimeballs. Let them get out and work for a living like the rest of us....and suffer the consequences of making poor choices.....

This is the type of law that has GOT to change. I resent having to take care of elected criminals for the rest of their lives. This should not be automatic, but a review done when the congressman applies for their pension and if that person has commited a crime - no pension.

What a waste of taxpayer money, I have a hard time paying my taxes, perhaps their retirement money could be used to buy health insurance for uninsured population. It is a foolish way to spend tax money. Spend wisely...

Interesting. Different laws/rules for different federal employees. Retired military members lose retirement pay if convicted of a felony.

Our legislators (state and Federal) have the only jobs in which the employees do better than their employers, i.e., the voters. In all other corporations, the "workers" (them) never do better than their "employers" (us). We have only ourselves to blame. Hopefully, beginning this November, we can begin to make changes. I believe that term limits for all elected offices would be a start.

They are all a disgrace to this country and we reward them with pensions far beyond what they deserve. if you disgrace this country, you deserve nothing. We as americans should not have to pay for the poor choices they have made.

the cold hard facts is this bunch in office now is by far the worst i have ever seen.if we vote them back in office, then what ever happens to this country we got it comming. they have showed us what to expect they have been doing it ever scinse bush got in office

Where is Clintons picture. He disgraced the office and lied and was disbarred. He still gets tax payer money.

I agree, they are all crooks....

"They Disgraced the Office, But You Still Pay for Their Pensions"

You are talking about Bill Clinton, as well obviously.

If they break the law and are convicted then they should loose their pension and all perks....

If he was a democrat he would have kept his job! That $165k+ per year for the perv.

Congress has I believe granted themselves much increased pensions and earlier vesting compared to other federal employees. You would think they could agree that a member of Congress convicted of a felony deriving from their work in Congress isn't entitled to the accelerated pension rules. That would be an excellent incentive to avoid criminal behavior while carrying out their public duties.

Forget the democrats? Oh I am sorry, two were pardoned by Pres Clinton, one just passed away, and the others are still serving, thanks to the folks in Mass. Names: Reps Reynolds, Rostenkowski, Studds, Frank, and Senator Kennedy.

Isn't it strange how they can vote themselves a pension, health care, and other benefits for which the people have to pay!
I think it is a disgrace. They should have to meet the same requirements as our military.Maybe a junior congressman should start at the same pay grade as an army captain and be promoted one grade for each term in office. That is approximately how it works for our fighting forces and they are putting their lifes on the line.
They should have to use military doctors and stand in line with our soldiers.

Our great elected officials! 99.9% of these people are so out of touch with real americans that nothing they do surprises me. How many of our leaders have children in the Armed Forces? I believe its one.
Stopping the pensons is a no brainer! Which is why it'll never happen.

Crime does pay.

Typical Washington trash. They all protect themselves. No wonder other countries are discusted with us. We have a corrupt government.

I say if the vote to devoid the
fallen elected officals of their pensions are delsyed, they all have something to hide or are planning or anticipating to
to do no good....the lawmakers
make the laws for their own personal gain and to hell with
all of us or morality.......
they all suck.

I'll bet these people if caught in the Soviet Union would get zip,nada,only some time in the Gulag and it's not a federal "vacation" near Palm Beach either! How low are we going to sink???

It depends if they have the minimun number of honorable service. Also, isn't the pension really the Thrift Savings Plan? You can't take that away.

Thank you for bringing this to the attention of all readers. Lawmakers can write the laws so that they get an automatic cost of living increase. But, they don't pass a similar law for those earning minimum wage. We need the media to expose outrageous and wasteful activities of all people who have been given power and authority. They should display an excellent example for us all. If not, they should be removed.

Anyone and everyone can sue these Congressman under the Federal RICO act.

All citizens have standing in the courts for a civil action and money damamges for racketeering.

Go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If all of us would stop pushing that one political party is getting off better than the other and start realizing that it is the taxpayers that are getting the short end of the stick, we might get some where.

Probably aren't any Democrats that fill that bill eh?

Only Republicans on the list. Give me an effing break.

It never ends with these pols. We have to stop voting them back in! Even the ones that look honest seem to be bought out in their first term. Anyone familiar with Marty Meehan from Massachusetts? He ran on term limits and against junket trips. Went on a junket two months after he got elected and changed his mind on limits 2 terms later. MA still re-elected him! Now his staff tries to rewrite his online encyclopedia history!

I think what Mark Foley did lacked judgement and was unforgiveable. Everyone has been through difficulties in life, but to rationalize the results of those, is not the way out. While the Foley scandal is in the forefront, Bill Clinton is still getting his pension, and one seems to wonder if standards of ethics or morality apply to any public figures. While to me any public official should be held up to a certain standard, a President is a much higher standard than a congressman. That said, in both cases their conduct was inexcuseable.

I receive a military service connected disability and if

I'm convicted of a felony my pay stops. Same should apply to congress.

I don't care if they're Democrates or Republicans, they are ALL crooks. They don't have a clue what the people in the states want or need because they can just pass a law to help themselves. When was the last time YOU got a raise? I'll bet they got one before you and they will get one after you too!
I'm retired military and I don't have half the perks any of them do. I have to wait in line for anything my family NEEDS and they go to the front of the line or are escorted to whatever they WANT. Fire them all and start over, then maybe we can get some that will care what the PEOPLE want AND need.

I saw the name Studds listed in a comment above. Anyone remember Gerry Studds, the Dem from Mass? He took a 16 yr old male page on a trip abroad during which he had sex with the boy. Was he prosecuted as a criminal? No. Removed from Congress? No. Resign from Congress? No. In fact, he was reelected 6 times by the good people of Massachusetts. He was protected by another good Massachusetts Democrat, Tip O'Neill. He was removed from chairmanship of a subcommittee, but congresswoman Barbara Boxer (now in the Senate) continued to look to him as the unoffical subcommittee chairman. Oh, yeah and he collected his $90,000 first year pension to boot. Mr. Ross, are you as outraged over Gerry Studds as you are over the pensions of the current crop of congressional slimeballs, or is it just because these guys happen to be Republicans?

No one likes this pension information.
How can we, the citizens, make changes to the law? I think it will take more action than posting a comment?

Looking forward to hearing a "solution possibility".

ABC has reached new heights in their hysterial, unabashed Leftist partianship.

Lack of balance in your reporting is disgusting, and it is a big reason alternative media is eating your lunch.

There should be NO PENSION for the congress members... 90% of the citizens don't have it.

Social Security should be enough... if they had to rely on it... they will fix that too and also increase it.

John Q. Public needs to clean house in Washington. Everybody there needs to GO and vote in a new bunch. There should a two term limit, NO MORE. This office job should NOT be a career. NO PERKS...NO PENSION--BRING 'EM HOME, AMERICA NEEDS A CHANGE.They are WAY OVER PAID.Most of them are non-smoking guzzlers probably anyway who try to tell us they are concerned about our health and what we can or cannot do. Vote for a change in Washington Nov. 7.Voters are SICK of 'em.

If this happened in another country we would cry foul and ask for a regime change. Perhaps we need to remove the log in our own eyes in order to see the specks in other peoples' eyes. We highlight the corruption in other countries while we overlook those in our backyard.
If an employee is fired, he loses his pension but when a congressman is fired, he retains his. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Strip them of any benefit because they don't deserve it.

How many Democrats have kept their jobs or quit in disgrace. Lets See rosenkowsky from Chicago, gets his pension and went to jail, A certain senator killed a women and still keeps getting elected. Congressman Hastings was kicked off the federal bench and still is in congress. There is a enough disgrace for both parties. We have Congressman Jefferson under investiagtion by the FBI 90 thousand found in his freezer. I am sure he will resign before getting kicked out of congress after he is found guilty so he can keep his pension.

Everyone agrees that this is not a good thing. The solution, to paraphrase, ' is for good men to do something'. Just complaining or pointing fingers at one party or the other does not really accomplish anything other than more frustration. It's not the Parties, it's the men and women committing the offences -- period. The solution, as asked for by one response, is not any single point or rule to be acted upon. It is for everyone to get involved, not just by voting - though extremely important, but by fighting against the media manipulation, actually looking for the truth not just what fits our personal bias, by becoming an active participant in Local, State and/or Federal pollitics, by demanding integrety and accountability from everyone in office -- not just the ones we don't like, etc..., and many more. A tall order for such an ignorant species. Yes, we are doomed.......

I am not to worried about these crooks getting their pensions. Once Nancy Pelosi is made Speaker of the House. She will tax the hell out of them anyway. Go Nancy. Hurrah.

I want to make 30,000 anually when I retire. Maybe I can get it from their pensions, since it's my money anyway!

If we took away pensions of every crook in congress....we'd be able to eliminate the national debt! :^)

Unfortunately we have one of the most corrupt governments in the world. It's all about money. Anybody who thinks that these people go to Congress to "represent" us is dead wrong. It would be nice to make almost $200,000 a year for doing nothing but having a fancy office and going to the floor just to cast a few votes. And now we're financing these crooked bastards after they've been convicted. What about the service members that have died because of the bad decisions our politicians make ? What do THEY and THEIR families get ? ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING !!!!

The entire concept of congressmen being able to raise and lower their own salaries, which come out of our pockets, is absurd. This is a non-partisan issue, start educating yourselves before you vote and participate in your government so we can make some changes in this "democracy."

As bad as it is for someone in public office to do wrong, it doesn't erase their years of service nor should it erase their pension earned. The real issue is the amount of money they all receive for each year of service which is way too much!

Congress should not control their salaries or pensions... it should be decided by voters. And anyone, Ley, Foley, Clinton, ANY PUBLIC FIGURE, who disgraced their office should be removed from office and all salaries and pensions cut off. While were at it Grorge Bush and his lynchmen should be impeached for the mess he has gotton us into.

We the voters have the power to establish "Term Limitation" on our own. We can start now by not voting for any incumbent member of congress. We should continue this process until we have cleaned out the House and the Senate. By this means, "We the People" can establish the term limits of our elected representative’s incumbency. These members of congress who have been in office longer than many voters have been alive are there simply because WE have kept them there. It is now a good time for us to clean the slate. Let’s all go to our polling places and vote out all congressional Incumbents who have been in office more than 2 terms.

Why shouldn't they get pensions? That's the deal. For everyone complaining here, most of you voted for these guys. Part of "democracy" means taking some responsibility for your decisions as a voter - YOU are the government. YOU voted for these people, YOU voted for people who sent our troops to Iraq, YOU bear the responsibility 100%. If you don't feel like bearing responsibility for the decisions of people YOU voted for, then move to an autocratic country.

All I see all the Republican hacks doing here is blaming Bill Clinton again.

Same as they blame Clinton for Bush's losing the war in Iraq.

Same as they blame Clinton for Bush's NINE TRILLION DOLLAR U.S. Debt.

Same as they blame Clinton for Bush's policies INCREASING terrorism around the world.

Same as they blame Clinton for Bush's failure to stop Bin Laden or 9-11.

Same as they blame Clinton for Bush's dismantling of forty years of nuclear treaties which led to N. Korea's nuclear bomb.

Their spin and denials go on and on and on and on...

Their refusal to EVER take ANY responsibilty for their endless failures is striking.

Good thing America sees through it and is SICK OF IT...and now that the Republican Party of Complete Incompetence and Failure is in TOTAL NUKULAR MELTDOWN...America is STANDING and CHEERING.

we have truely lost the concept of a government of the people, by the people and FOR the people. we need to stand up for our rights. if you ran a business and had employees like our senate and congress you would be OUT of business. if they can't live up to the rules that govern the rest of us then vote their a--es out!

after looking at her comment I think Anne works for the government. who else would try to spin this issue like that. get real...just look at the overall level of disgust that is being vented here.

I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!!!

This makes my blood boil.WHY should they get any pension at all,and why does it go up cost of living,why heck my pension does not go up. I think reform is in order here

When one rewards behavior/acts that is corrupt or perverted as good the behavior/acts will not depart from the institution. We need to stop rewarding corrupt and perverted behavior/acts with public acceptance or money as good morality.

Does this come as a surprise to anyone? It shouldn't. The one piece of legislation that gets the utmost attention, the littlest degree of partisan bickering and the least amount of press coverage is the one that sets the salary and pension of congressmen. It happens with every Congress. They sure know how to make life easy on themselves. Then they play politics with legislation that affects normal Americans. Have you ever heard of a congressman proposing a cut in pay or benefits? Nope. It never, never happens. And I hate to say it, but it doesn't matter how many phone calls we make or letters we write. It's just the way of things.

six years later there are quite a few people on here that obviously still can't move beyond bill clinton's time in office. this shouldn't be a dem/rep issue; it's should be an issue of accountability regardless of party.

it is no longer government by the people, only government insulated from the people.

Can it get any worse than what we are seeing in the US congress? The answer might surprise you. The house has become a devil sanctuary that houses child predetors, corrupt individuals and most importantly, they get to pass what they want and sit on what they don't.BRAVO to you all.

the results of liberalism, its a mental disorder.

This ABC News report is quite typical of the left-leaning news media like ABC News. How about Democrat Bill Clinton lying to the grand jury and still collecting his pension and charging us taxpayers for his humungous mortgage in Chappequa? How about DEMOCRAT William Jefferson who stole public money and hid in his freezer, who refuses to resign from Congress? How about DEMOCRAT Cynthia McKinney who beat up a police officer who should have been arrested and jailed for her obvious crime against law enforcement? How about Senator Menendez in New Jersey who is up on fraud charges and has yet to resign? You know Washington has so many criminals on both sides, but somehow our liberal media only manages to solely focus on Republicans. At least Republicans have the good sense to resign when they're caught with indiscretions. The Democrats are the most defiant bunch of people and the media has the biggest double standard when it comes to covering stories that are pro-democrat, and so anti-Republican! I am sick of our media, and they are the biggest problem in our nation today! Our media should be held responsible for putting our young soldiers' lives at risk!

Term Limits. That is the answer. If we really want to change the corruption in Congress, we must have term limits...therefore making it next to impossible for members to achieve the power (and mis-guided millions of our money that follow) necessary to allow this corruption.

The Democrats are right!!! They should'nt get thier pensions!! They should STAY ON THE JOB AND GET A RAISE LIKE STUDDS!!! CRASH INTO CONCRETE AT 3AM IN A DRUGGED AND DRUNKEN STUPOR LIKE KENNDEY!! This is in no way to excuse thier conduct, or the fact that I agree that the ones actually convicted of a crime (unlike Foley, who's a slime but not a convicted criminal) should lose thier pensions. But it shows the different way each party treats ethic violators. And as far as Nancy Pelosi chastising anyone for what Foley did...she promoted Studds after he was censured, and she marched with Harry Hay the North American Man Boy Love (NAMBLA) figurehead in San Francisco...So please don't tell me how she will be cleaning the moral house anythime soon...

Kinda like corporate CEOs who fail and bail with golden parachutes. See what happens when we keep sending former lawyers, accountants, and CEOs to Washington. This is the US version of British royalty...

why should petafiles or any one who commits acrime enjoy his pension? people who have lived a decent life and served their country for years dont enjoy what this man will receive. if you werent able to enter i;nto the pension fund that they took out of a measly pen;sion then the wife get nothing. put this man in the service and let him see how other people live and then let him go with nothing.

The only way to put a stop to these BIG PENSIONS is to vote out the incumbent in ever election. Let 'em know the voters mean business. Forget which party is at fault, forget the incumbent, only focus on the new challenger and vote for them to get this down to a two term limit. This aint over till the fat lady sings and she is just starting to get warmed up. American voters get behind this big push. GET THE LONG HAULERS OUT OF WASHINGTON. Let them see who really holds the purse strings. BIG PENSIONS are just tip of the iceburg concerning overspending in America. As Todd Beemer said, "LET'S ROLL". Let's make a difference in America and show them who the real boss it. VOTE FOR CHANGE!!!!Let the big boys know after eight years your going home like it or not.

When will you folks figure it out ALL of these guy need to be replaced in each election. If you do not give them a job for life they cannot do the amount of harm that ultimate power gives them.
dee ta dee

Here is the foley, ney and other pensions

Just one more sign that the joke is on us Americans. Vote 'em all out of office and lets start with a whole new group and give them a dose of sodium penethol each day.....hahaha

If all of us could vote in our own payraise, what would yours be? What do you think the people working for minimum wage payraise would be if they could also?

Would you lose your pension or 401k if you were accused of a crime or even convicted of a crime? For that matter, would you lose your vested pension or 401k if you were to resign from your job? The answer is NOOO!

I certainly don't condone what was done by any of these members of Congress. However, we have to be realistic about the penalties imposed upon these people for their transgressions.

Did you know that a person on SSI receves approximately $625.00 per month? The same person is constantly treated as if he/she is cheating when that is not the case. That makes this even more appalling. But, they take care of their own and assume that everyone else is lying or not good enough to question their criminal conduct.

one big problem is that we really on people who benefit from "running" the system to fix things for us.