Do You Recognize The "FreeLoader" In This Pic?

[kpete]

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[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. Or..this.

?w=662&h=536

[Auggie]

2. +1

[Curmudgeoness]

7. Ick ick ick.

I did not have to see that! But I have to admit that it is a pretty incredible photo.

[Stellar]

25. agreed!

eeeeewwwww!

[lobodons]

3. 67 paid holidays?

Um, seems more like 365 paid holidays. Well, except for the days they showed up to vote against the ACA.

[RB TexLa]

4. Members of Congress don't get free health care.

Their employer pays for part of it like many employers but they still have a portion of the premiums held out of their checks like everyone. I have no idea where the 67 holidays or sick time comes from. An elected member of Congress has no obligation to show up for work. Their pay is provided to them because they won election to and took the office.

[Curmudgeoness]

8. And who is their employer?

Oh, it is the government. Ohhhhh.

I don't know about that 67 holidays either, but they may be meaning days that are off. And who needs sick time if no one is keeping track of the days you work and deducting it from your pay. I wonder if they even have to have an excuse for not showing up.

[aggiesal]

10. Officially they only work Mon-Thurs. ...

with Friday considered travel day.

Also they have planned congressional breaks.
Some that coincide with thanksgiving, x-mas, spring breaks
and others that don't.

So out of 365 days a year, approximately 112 days are weekend
Days (Sat & Sun), leaving 253 working days.
Of that congress was in session for only 126 days in 2013
and have planned to be in session for only 113 days in 2014.

[Curmudgeoness]

13. Nice job if you can get it, huh? nt

[RB TexLa]

11. So you are saying you consider anyone employed by the federal government and enrolls

in the healthcare plans offered is a freeloader?

[Curmudgeoness]

12. Not at all.

I am only saying that their benefits are coming from the same place as the Social Security/Medicare recipient. And I have no problem with that.

[RB TexLa]

14. So they should not recieve health insurance through their employer?

[Curmudgeoness]

15. Why are you intent on putting words in my mouth?

In looking at the OP, the legislator is pointing at the SS/Medicare recipient and calling him a freeloader. I was just addressing the issue of freeloading, not whether anyone should or should not have health insurance paid for by the government. My comment is that both are getting government (you and me) paid benefits. And yes, the government should be offering it's employees health insurance...I just think that they should remember who "the government" is.

For the record, I want Medicare For All so there would be government paid care for everyone. We could all be freeloaders...and paying for it.

[RB TexLa]

21. Under "congressional benefits" is says "free healthcare" and that is false

members of congress pay a portion of their premiums like most people with insurance from their employer. Stating they are freeloaders because of the alleged benefits in the caption is incorrect. They pay the same as someone working at private employers. The time off is incorrect too as there is no requirement of them to do anything other than be sworn into office.

[freebrew]

24. "They pay the same as someone working at private employers.?"

Really? My wife pays 30% of her check just for me. And it's going up.

They pay a pittance compared to regular working folk.

[RB TexLa]

31. I pay 15% of my premium, it's $31 a paycheck. Of course we are self funded and have been

for a long time so ours costs are very low now.

[rustydog]

29. It sure is an easy way to make 174-thousand fucking dollars a year

working 118 days...maybe... doing absolutely nothing but blame America on Obama...for 174-thousand a year,
yes they are freeloading off of the taxpayers. Every goddamn member of congress must pee in a bottle weekly and pass a drug test to get their taxpayer funded WELFARE.

[RB TexLa]

32. Who would enforce that? Only congress can enforce that if they chose and they would lose

when the first member sued them over it. They hold the office by meeting the constitutional requirements, being elected and assuming the office.

Unless you are going to say it's "just a God damn piece of paper."

[Petrushka]

27. Social Security recipients don't receive "free health care" either.

A monthly premium is deducted from our Social Security check and we pay for supplemental insurance to cover whatever Medicare doesn't cover . . . and that's in addition to co-pays, etc. covered by neither Medicare nor the supplemental insurance.

Considering the high salary and benefits received by members of Congress, their healthcare expenses seem miniscule when compared to those paid by Medicare recipients whose only income is a Social Security check . . . and, therefore, because freeloading is in the eye of the beholder, I think the cartoon is spot-on.

[JDPriestly]

5. K&R.

[WillyT]

6. K & R !!!

[n2doc]

9. So far, as of march 10th, they have only worked 28 out of 69 days

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/03/10/how-many-days-has-congress-actually-worked-in-2014/

Last year, they took 239 days off.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kenneth-d-ackerman/congress-calendar_b_2219870.html

Nice 'work' if you can get it...

[Gravitycollapse]

16. They didn't have 239 days off work.

[bottomofthehill]

30. Having worked both on the Hill and in a district ofice for a Member, I have a few observations

1) Based on a 5 day week, there are 260 work days in a year. 126 of the 260 the House is scheduled to be in session. so, they are in session half of the work year. The other half of the year most Members (I know, not all but the great majority) are in their Districts holding office hours, town halls, going to schools, and senior centers, speaking at events and of course, FUNDRAISING ( I know we all love to bitch about it, but it is a reality of the job, no money, no election). Additionally, there are many weekend events that Members attend so really, they don't work a 5 day week, much closer to 7.

2) Members spend a fair amount of time commuting to and from Washington. There are a lot of Members who do not have direct flights to Washington, they come through Chicago, Atlanta Charlotte.....

3) Many Members like being in Washington as opposed to their Districts as in Washington, they are treated like Kings of their little Fiefdoms. The Members have their ass kissed by the Staff, the Capitol Cops, the Lobbyists, the people in the restaurants, the trade group folks......

4) At home they are asked to help with the "little things" like helping with Social Security or Employment issues, Help getting kids into schools, help with local matters that are not Federal Issues, personal help.

All in all, Members work much harder when they are in "recess" or as it is now often referred, district work period.

[tclambert]

17. How about people born into wealthy families?

[GoneFishin]

18. Kick.

[CBHagman]

19. The pension part has been broken down.

Let me preface this with the observation that fewer and fewer Americans get anything at all resembling a pension, let alone a defined benefit. So I know the system can be extremely cruel to people who have worked all their lives but not had much in the way of savings, investments, and/or benefits.

But as to the congressional pension, a subject that launched a thousand emails, the facts are more complex than suggested here. From Politfact:

[url]http://www.politifact.com/ohio/statements/2013/jan/11/chain-email/can-members-congress-retire-full-pay-after-just-on/[/url]

A report on "Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress," prepared in November by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, outlines how pension benefits are calculated.

The key provision: no member of Congress is eligible for any pension unless he or she has served in Congress for at least five years. (Senators serve six-year terms; House members must seek reelection every two years.)

To collect, a congressman or senator must be age 62, or be at least age 50 with 20 years of service, or be any age with 25 years of service.

Under the most recent pension program, adopted in 1984, the size of a pension is based on the highest three years of a member's salary, the number of years of service and a multiplier, which is 1.7 percent for the first 20 years of service and 1.0 percent for subsequent years.

[blkmusclmachine]

20. ,

,

[stonecutter357]

22. K&R

[allan01]

23. reDo You Recognize The "FreeLoader" In This Pic?

several fingers pointing back at the congersinal benifets freeloader .

[liberal N proud]

26. It is a sick, sick, sick world.

[ErikJ]

28. But too often Congress is just the tryouts testing ground for a much bigger payday as lobbyist.

Politicians real goal though is to become a million $/yr lobbyist. The Revolving door.

[bigwillq]

33. K and R (nt)