Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Talk about Income Disparity

Salary of retired US presidents: $450,000 per year for life.

Salary of House/Senate members: $174000 per year for life

Salary of the Speaker of the House: $223,500 per year for life

Salary of Majority/Minority Leaders: $194,400 per year for life.

Average salary of a soldier DEPLOYED in Afghanistan: $38,000 per year

Average income for seniors on Social Security: $12,000 per year

If you want to deal with income disparity, I know a good place to start.

ADDENDUM: I guess I give too many liberals too much credit for figuring out what a particular post is about. They seem unable to connect current events to a particular post unless led by the hand one idea at a time. I'm sorry for them, but I want to help. Therefore, let me connect the principles of this post to a current claim by a possible presidential candidate. Hillary Clinton claimed to have been dead broke when she and Bill left the WH. Let's give them that (even though it is unimaginable). Since then they both have demanded over $100,000 per speech. If they have each spoken 10 times since then, their debts were paid off and they are now rolling in dough. 

Come on, liberals. Even YOU can get this.

21 comments:

Xavier Onassis said...

I know a better place to start.

http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/15/news/economy/ceo-pay-worker/

Craig said...

The pension for a president is $200 large p/year. They do get a Secret Service detail and some other perks, so there's that.

Members of congress contribute to their pensions. They must serve 5 years to be eligible for a pension. They don't receive it until age 62 or earlier if they have 20 years service. Their pensions are based on a formula found here.

A congressman who served 6 years would get a pension of about $18,000 starting at age 62. If Charlie Rangel retired, his would be about $80,000. Less than half his current salary.

Joe, chain emails might not be the best source for "facts".

I'm with you on paying warriors more. Especially when a private contract mercenary with Blackwater/Xe/Academi can make $150k for doing the same job.

Why do you keep voting for the party that wants to trust the banksters with your SS and rewards war profiteers and cuts bennies for vets? Why not join Sherrod Brown and the Dems who want to increase SS benefits.

One party (some of them, not all) is looking out for you. The other is looking out for the Oligarchs. Wakey, wakey, Jo-Joe.

sue hanes said...

Joe - I agree with you on this one. The salaries just don't make sense. There is no comparison for politicians and troops.

Joe said...

XO: The difference is summed up in two words: "productivity and earned."

Craig: The cost of Secret Service benefit and "other perks" is included in my figure (which I did not get from an email).

sh: I do not begrudge politicians their retirement salaries and benefits, but when they start to cry "poorhouse," as Hillary Clinton did, I get a little irritated.

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Notice it's those wealthy politicians who are always complaining about income disparity. Them and the Hollywood elite. Rank hypocrites.

Joe said...

GEC: Yeah. They do nothing to increase productivity in America, claim all of its benefits and then begrudge others who have "made it" their due.

Craig said...

Salary of retired US presidents: $450,000 per year for life.

False

Salary of House/Senate members: $174000 per year for life

False

Salary of the Speaker of the House: $223,500 per year for life

False

Salary of Majority/Minority Leaders: $194,400 per year for life

4 spectacularly false statements and we're, somehow, supposed to find a commentary on Hillary in this load of crap?

(which I did not get from an email).

Maybe you didn't but it is word for word from a chain email

both have demanded over $100,000 per speech

Demanded? It's what some are willing to pay. Free market principles.

BTW, I agree those were stupid comments from Hill.







Joe said...

Craig: The former president receives a taxable lifetime pension equal to the annual rate of basic pay for the heads of executive branch departments, like the Cabinet Secretaries. This amount is set annually by Congress and is currently (in 2011) $199,700 per year.

Six months after a president leaves office, he or she gets funds for an office staff. During the first 30 months after the leaving office, the former president gets a maximum of $150,000 per year for this purpose.

Former presidents are compensated for office space and office supplies at any location in the United States.

Under a law enacted in 1968, the GSA makes funds available to former presidents and no more than two of his or her staff members for travel and related expenses.

With the enactment of the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 (H.R. 6620), on Jan. 10, 2013, former presidents and their spouses receive Secret Service protection for their lifetimes.

Former Presidents and their spouses, widows, and minor children are entitled to treatment in military hospitals.

Former presidents are traditionally granted state funerals with military honors. (Presidents are dying for that one).

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepresidentandcabinet/a/presretirement.htm

Add that up for me and see what you get.

Ducky's here said...

If you are going to lump in items like office staff then you should have stated that up front Joe instead of trying to weasel out of this bit of subterfuge.

Bout to Craig. Referee stops contest.

Joe said...

Ducky: Explain why. Aren't you smart enough to have put all of the pieces together by yourself? You really needed my help?

The actual total is a little variable, depending on what office space the former president elects, what supplies he needs, what his staff is paid and what Secret Service agents are paid at any given time.

The whole point is, with Hillary doing interviews at which she claims they were "dead broke" (her words), I was pointing out how much more they make as dead broke former White House residents than the average American makes.

You sort of have to be able to put information together. My former posts have addressed the declaration of poverty by Hillary, the financial condition of the average American and so on.

I should have known you would not be able to absorb more than one post and should have combined them all into one long, exhausting post, which you would then complain was too long to read.

Xavier Onassis said...

"
When the Clintons left the White House, Hillary Clinton became a New York senator and had to file annual financial disclosure forms. The 2000 forms, posted on the Open Secrets website, show the couple’s assets and liabilities — but only in broad ranges: from $15,001 to $50,000, from $50,001 to $100,000 and so forth, PolitiFact.com found.

The figures showed, however, that the Clintons were in debt, mostly because of Bill Clinton’s huge legal bills over his impeachment.

The couple’s highest possible assets were about $1.8 million, PolitiFact.com estimated, while their lowest possible debts were nearly $2.3 million. The best-case scenario left them about $500,000 in debt."

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/reason/fact-check/2014-06-21/story/fact-check-were-clintons-really-broke#ixzz37l30uPGO

Xavier Onassis said...

If you owe half a million dollars more than you've got...that's broke.

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Well, I guess I'm broke, because I owe over $100,000 on my house and I don't have $100,000 in assets.
I owe about $50K more than I have in assets, so by X.O.'s definition I am broke.

I guess "broke" is all relative.

Joe said...

XO: Ms. Clinton has proclaimed her poverty in several interviews in an attempt to demonstrate how she identifies with the average American's economic plight. It invites crocodile tears.

As GEC pointed out, being in debt does not equal broke. Neither does $100,000 per speech for both her and her husband.

Compare and contrast you views of the U.S. debt with the Clinton's debt. What is it you said, "We don't have a spending problem, we have..."

Xavier Onassis said...

G.E.C. - Yes. I would call that living beyond your means.

Thank goodness for that government paycheck!

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

X.O.

I do not live beyond my means because I can make the mortgage payment - have never missed one in my life.

You are typical of the left always, always harping on my government paycheck. I know, it is evil to work for the government in a Constitutionally-authorized occupation, an occupation which is critical to national and international commerce, a job you couldn't qualify for. Thou shalt not covet!

Joe said...

GEC: XO is incapable of recognizing the inconsistency of his wanting the government to run the FAA but not wanting the FAA workers to receive government money.

His attitude and words speak for themselves.

Xavier Onassis said...

Joe and G.E.C. - I'm not the one constantly plucking away at that one-string banjo about how evil the government is and how the government shouldn't be involved in anything ever while, AT THE SAME TIME, happily accepting government money.

I call that hypocrisy.

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

X.O.

I have NEVER, EVER, said the government shouldn't be involved in anything. YOU are one big fat liar to make such a claim.

I point out the things the government has no business being involved in and the corruption in the government, and all the other evils that are perpetuated by the government. That is not the same thing as saying the government shouldn't be involved in anything. Governments are necessary, and we had a good Constitutional government until people discovered they could vote themselves all sorts of benefits for "free."

You really are ignorant, aren't you!

Joe said...

GEC: I'm not sure XO is fat.

Xavier Onassis said...

Joe - Thank you for rising to my defense! You, sir, are a mensch!

In fact, I suspect you are a sonofamensch.