Retiring from Congress, by the numbers - 20 Democrats, 15 Republicans, 1 Independent - Polidicks

[QUOTE]Washington (CNN) -- Sen. Jim DeMint, who announced on Thursday that he is leaving the Senate next month, will be joined by 35 other members of Congress who are retiring after the end of the 112th Congress. Here's a look, by the numbers at what the members will get and what they will leave behind as they leave the Hill: [B]36:[/B] Members of Congress who are retiring after the 2011-12 session ends. [B]25:[/B] House members who are retiring. [B]11:[/B] Senators who are retiring. [B]20:[/B] Democrats who are retiring. [B]15:[/B] Republicans who are retiring. [B]1:[/B] Independent who is retiring. [B]5:[/B] Number of terms held by retiring Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-New Mexico, the most of any retiring senator. [B]18:[/B] Number of terms held each by retiring Reps. Norm Dicks, D-Washington, and Dale Kildee, D-Michigan, the most of any retiring representative. [B]495:[/B] Retired members of Congress who were receiving pensions as of October 2011. [B]5:[/B] Lowest number of years of federal service in which an active or former congressman is eligible for an annual pension at age 62. [B]80:[/B] Percent of a congressman's final active salary that may be used as the maximum starting amount of his or her retiring annuity. [B]18½:[/B] Years Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, the longest-serving Republican woman in the Senate, will have been in office at the time of her retirement. [B]1.1%:[/B] Amount of projected pay adjustment for 2013 that retiring congressmen are going to miss out on. [B]$27:[/B] Price (in February) of a shampoo, haircut and blow-dry at the Senate Hair Care Services salon, which has been open since 1859. [B]$150,000:[/B] Amount for which retiring Rep. Dennis Kucinich sued the House cafeteria after biting down on an olive pit in his sandwich, requiring extensive dental work. The suit was settled in January 2011. [B]8:[/B] Number of terms Kucinich served in Congress before he announced his retirement in May. [B]At least 13:[/B] Write-in votes for Hank the Cat, a politically minded Virginia feline who and came in third in the Senate race behind former Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, and former Sen. George Allen, a Republican. He meowed his retirement via his Facebook page on November 15.[/quote] Source: [url]http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/06/politics/btn-retiring-politicians/index.html[/url]

This article was brought to you by [IMG]http://ndrichardson.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Count.jpg[/IMG]

[B]1:[/B] Ron Pauls who are retiring

hopefully more dems will replace them

Godspeed independant ;_;7

[QUOTE=smurfy;38777925][B]1:[/B] Ron Pauls who are retiring[/QUOTE] thank god.

[QUOTE=BrickInHead;38778246]thank god.[/QUOTE] More will replace him. Rand Paul, Paul Ryan, Andrew Ryan etc

[QUOTE=person11;38778491]More will replace him. Rand Paul, Paul Ryan, Andrew Ryan etc[/QUOTE] Andrew Ryan was a better Libertarian than Ron ever was. He played Quark on DS9 afterall.

there is no longer any hope for weed or 420 rip ron paul

I see facepunch has a 50% democrat/republican split based on the ratings of above post (when this was originally posted) wtf. EDIT: good to see fp is getting with the program

[QUOTE=Paul McCartney;38778595]Andrew Ryan was a better Libertarian than Ron ever was. He played Quark on DS9 afterall.[/QUOTE] Andrew Ryan built a city under the ocean and look how that turned out.

[QUOTE=smurfy;38777925][B]1:[/B] Batshit Crazy Lunatics who are retiring[/QUOTE] Fixed that for you.

[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;38780941]Fixed that for you.[/QUOTE] Only 1? What are you saying about the rest of the GOP?

less incumbents of any kind please

Good. The sooner their old ideals get out, the better.

[QUOTE=BrickInHead;38778246]thank god.[/QUOTE] filthy libertarians

18 terms. [I]EIGHTEEN FUCKING TERMS[/I] for these people to sit on their asses and make money while collectively fucking our country into the ground. Plus they're going to keep getting paid 80% after retiring. We need to rework every single bit of being a congressman.

[QUOTE=Forumaster;38781225]18 terms. [I]EIGHTEEN FUCKING TERMS[/I] for these people to sit on their asses and make money while collectively fucking our country into the ground. Plus they're going to keep getting paid 80% after retiring. We need to rework every single bit of being a congressman.[/QUOTE] Congressmen spend almost millions to get elected. If they can spend that much to get into a 2 year office, I doubt they need to be paid for those 2 years.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;38781279]Congressmen spend almost millions to get elected. If they can spend that much to get into a 2 year office, I doubt they need to be paid for those 2 years.[/QUOTE] I don't remember who it was (it might've actually been you) that pointed that out and suggested that congressmen not be paid at all (or at least not over the average wage in the US) and be limited to 2 terms or so.

[QUOTE=Forumaster;38781309]I don't remember who it was (it might've actually been you) that pointed that out and suggested that congressmen not be paid at all (or at least not over the average wage in the US) and be limited to 2 terms or so.[/QUOTE] That would be me, though I think there are 2 or 3 others who have said similar things. I would prefer not paid at all, but if they do, then the median wage of the US (maybe even federal minimum wage). I would like House Reps get only three 2-year terms and Senators get two 6-year terms. And I don't want that "consecutive" word in there. I don't want a House Rep in for 6 years, take 2 off, then go in another 6.

nooo d. kucinich don't leave you were my favorite

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;38780972]Only 1? What are you saying about the rest of the GOP?[/QUOTE] Valid point...

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;38781428]That would be me, though I think there are 2 or 3 others who have said similar things. I would prefer not paid at all, but if they do, then the median wage of the US (maybe even federal minimum wage). I would like House Reps get only three 2-year terms and Senators get two 6-year terms. And I don't want that "consecutive" word in there. I don't want a House Rep in for 6 years, take 2 off, then go in another 6.[/QUOTE] Congressmen get high salaries to reduce bribe effectiveness. Do you realize how easy it would be to buy a senator if he only made median wage? And your entire system would entice only very rich people to become congressmen because they can already support themselves and don't need to worry about a low salary.

[QUOTE=trotskygrad;38778078]hopefully more dems will replace them[/QUOTE] Hopefully more rational thinkers replace them regardless of political affiliation.

[QUOTE=Strider*;38798024]Hopefully more rational thinkers replace them regardless of political affiliation.[/QUOTE] Republicans are irrational thinkers by definition.

[QUOTE=King Tiger;38798004]Congressmen get high salaries to reduce bribe effectiveness. Do you realize how easy it would be to buy a senator if he only made median wage? And your entire system would entice only very rich people to become congressmen because they can already support themselves and don't need to worry about a low salary.[/QUOTE] Implying they aren't already massively bribed.

[QUOTE=King Tiger;38798035]Republicans are irrational thinkers by definition.[/QUOTE] It's easy to live and judge by such simplistic notions. Hell half of congress would agree with you, and that's what's wrong with politics.

[QUOTE=Forumaster;38798063]Implying they aren't already massively bribed.[/QUOTE] Not every congressman is massively bribed no. A fuckton more would be if they had no reason to say no. [editline]11th December 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Strider*;38798076]It's easy to live and judge by such simplistic notions. Hell half of congress would agree with you, and that's what's wrong with politics.[/QUOTE] What's wrong with politics is corporate influence and one party exists solely to protect corporations and extend their influence. That is the Republican party.

[QUOTE=Vodkavia;38798217]That seems like a pretty vicious generalization to me.[/QUOTE] It's general because it's true.

[QUOTE=King Tiger;38798134] What's wrong with politics is corporate influence and one party exists solely to protect corporations and extend their influence. That is the Republican party.[/QUOTE] If you honestly believe that either party exists for a more divine, enlightened, or inspired reason then you are a fool. They both just want to implement what they believe will serve the country best. It is my honest opinion that most people want to do what's right. The discrepancy comes from how best to achieve the "good" Corporations need to defend their interests, just as other interest groups do. Your view point makes it difficult for me to appraise the value of your opinions much higher than a cretin's.