Performance Review in Washington???

In your job, in whatever it is you do for a living there are consequences. If you work for a sizable company you might even have regular reviews of your performance. What happens if you do a bad job? Maybe you get a closed door meeting where you are told to shape up. If you do a bad enough job you might just get fired or have to close your business. If you get fired or close your business do you get health benefits or a pension? I don't think so, and if you do count yourself as lucky as our leaders.

Did you know that our president continues to receive benefits after he leaves office? He even gets a pension. ("A taxable pension that is equal to the annual rate of basic pay for the head of an executive department.") Currently they receive about $191,300 till the day they die. That amount is just a drop in the bucket, they get more benefits. The combined cost of the former presidents for 2008 was around $2,235,500. That amount doesn't even include the Secret Service protection they get which is reported to total $24 million a year. Former congressmen and congresswomen get a similar pension (which in 2006 was to the tune of $22,103,976). Our leaders can be paid our hard earned tax dollars after they are finished with their term. It makes matters even worse when they are voted out of office.

There is a piece of legislation that has been introduced called the Federal Pension Forfeiture Act. This act will cause a congress person to lose their pension if they commit certain crimes. I say we take this act one step further.

Let's create some consequences for doing a bad job in office. Once a congress person or president has left office the voters which were represented by that person get to decide by referendum if they receive their pension. We are all held to a standard in our jobs and businesses, why not our leaders?

Of coarse this Act would have to be voted into law by the very leaders for whom it provides consequences. Usually dogs don't don their own leashes!!!