Richard,
You're defending a known "HOAX" email that's full of inaccuracies and it has been circulating around the internet called "A message from Warren Buffett"...
- First of all, Warren Buffett had absolutely nothing to do with this email.
- Secondly, to address your so called POINT, that I'm supposedly missing. Proof of the inaccuracies of the claims are listed below.
- Last but not least, I'm done responding to this pointless email Hoax.
Mistakes in Congressional Reform Act Email
There are numerous errors in the Congressional Reform Act email.
Let's start with the most obvious one - the incorrect assumption that members of Congress don't pay into the Social Security system. They are required to pay social security payroll taxes under federal law.
Also see: Salaries and Benefits of U.S. Congress Members
That wasn't always the case, though. Before 1984 members of Congress did not pay intoSocial Security. But they also were not eligible to claim Social Security benefits. At the time they participated in what was called the Civil Service Retirement System.
The 1983 amendments to the Social Security Act all members of Congress to participate in Social Security as of Jan. 1, 1984, regardless of when they first entered Congress.
Other Errors in Congressional Reform Act Email
As far as pay raises, cost-of-living-adjustments tied to inflation - such as the Congressional Reform Act email suggests - take effect annually unless Congress votes to not accept it. Members of Congress do not vote themselves pay raises, as the email suggests.
Also see: Even in Recession, Congress Pay Grew
There are other problems with the Congressional Reform Act email, including the claim that all Americans buy their own retirement plans. Studies show that most full-time workers actually participate in an employee-sponsored retirement plan. Members of Congress get retirement benefits under the same plans available to other federal employees.
Meantime, members of Congress already are subject to the same laws the rest of us are, despite claims to the contrary by the Congressional Reform Act email.
But let's not quibble over details. The point is: The Congressional Reform Act isn't a real piece of legislation. Even if it were, what are the chances members of Congress would vote to eliminate perks and jeopardize their own job security?
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Congressional Reform Act of 2011-Fiction!
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/c/congressional-reform-act-2011.htm
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Summary of the eRumor:
This is an email that contains a list of ideas "to fix congress" and tells the reader to forward it to 20 people in their address books. Among these ideas are setting term limits, changing government pension plans, mandating congressional participation in Social Security, stopping congressional pay raises and making elected officials accountable for their actions.
Some versions of this eRumor say that millionaire Warren Buffett is asking readers to forward this email.
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The Truth:
The "Congressional Reform Act of 2011" is not a real bill in Congress but it is a passionate plea for change on behalf of concerned citizens hoping to get the word out across the World Wide Web.
This eRumor first appeared on the Internet in January 2011. Later, in October 2011, versions with an inserted quote by business millionaire Warren Buffett began circulating and also said that he was requesting all readers to forward the email.
The Buffett quote is real and taken from a transcript of an interview on CNBC on July 7, 2011. Buffett gave a humorous quick solution to fix the problems of the deficit and Congress during a live interview. Buffett jokingly said, "I could end the deficit in five minutes. You just pass a law that says that any time there's a deficit of more than three percent of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election. Yeah, yeah, now you've got the incentives in the right place, right?"
TruthOrFiction.Com has found no evidence that Warren Buffett has made such a plea to forward this email on the Internet.
We do not know who wrote this email other than a concerned citizen who wanted to change Congress. This call for citizen action first appeared on the Internet shortly after the 112th Congress was sworn in on January 5, 2011. Days later it began moving through the World Wide Web like wild fire.
The writer of the email is apparently passionate about his recommendation but failed to give any directions as to where all these forwarded emails could be sent to do any good.
We found some of the claims from the list to be inaccurate:
Congressional representatives are exempt from paying into Social Security - Fiction!
Elected representatives are not exempt from paying into Social Security. We have findings posted in a related eRumor. Click for findings.
Congressional representatives are above the law- Fiction!
Congressional representatives are not above the law. Here are some recent examples of those who have been caught, tried and convicted:
In early January 2010 former GOP Congressman Tom Delay was sentenced to 3 years in prison after being found guilty for his participation in a scheme to illegally funnel corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002.
James A. Traficant, an Ohio Democrat, was expelled from Congress after being found guilty of bribery and racketeering. Traficant served seven years behind bars in a Minnesota prison and was released in 2009.
Congressional representatives are exempt from Health Care policies- Fiction!
Congressional representatives are not exempt from the healthcare reform law.
Congressional representatives have been voting themselves cost of living pay raises- Fiction!
Cost of living salary increases for congressional members have been automatically generated in the past, but some members have been known to voluntarily opt out of it. Members of Congress have not gotten a raise in pay in the last 2 years while the US has been facing hard economic times. Also, the 111th Congress, under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi, voted to stop the automatic pay raise for the last two consecutive years. President Obama signed the last bill into law on May 14, 2010, which will affect congressional pay raises in 2011, according to a May 14th article by the congressional newspaper, The Hill. The article also said, "The base pay for House and Senate lawmakers is $174,000, though leaders earn a higher salary. The cost-of-living increase would have given lawmakers a $1,600 raise in 2011. By rescinding the increase, lawmakers saved taxpayers $850,000 for next year." Click for article.
TruthOrFiction.Com has not found that this type of email has had any influence on the decisions of elected leaders.
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