To Zach Wamp,
Bob Corker needs our gratitude for electing him to office. Bob should have much gratitude for his constituents just like you should, do, have or had.
You and Bob have a fantastic retirement paid for by us hard-working citizens who will never experience the financial wealth that you or Bob enjoy.
We the people elected you to represent our wishes and wish you nothing but the best. However, how can you sleep at night knowing that you will receive a minimum of $174,000 a year after retirement while the rest of us that put you in office will do good to get $20,000 a year? Bob and Zach, you are both intelligent enough to answer this question.
I would like to hear the honest answer from both of you as to why you are so deserving of so much more than the hard-working, tax-paying, commoner American who has paid your political tab?
Michael G. Mansfield
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Mr. Mansfield- I agree that any person who has the privilege of being elected to public office should be grateful to the people who elected them. However, we do know there is a big difference between being elected and really making a difference in people’s lives. Many “elected leaders” are simply sitting in a seat today, not moving the needle at all. Bob Corker improved our lives.
But your comment about Congressional retirement is precisely what I referred to as “politics has been dumbed down.”
Fact - retirement for Members of Congress is calculated similar to state and local pensions - the average of your top two years salary ($172,000) x 1.7 percent x the number of years you served. I served 16 years so beginning at 62 years of age I will receive $3,482 per month as a pension. As you can see, this is a little above $40,000 per year, not the $174,000 per year you stated as fact.
The Internet is a great thing but the under belly of the Internet is that totally false information is conveyed and many people simply believe what they read. Our great republic is coming unraveled today and one of the reasons is the proliferation of false information as fact.
It is imperative that accurate information is conveyed properly so we have an informed electorate and honorable leaders serving together once again if our way of life is to be continued.
Zach Wamp - Consulting/Business Development
Member of U.S. Congress 1995-2011