CARVIN WILL INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO ELIMINATE
PENSIONS FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
"Serving in Congress Was Intended to Be a Civic Honor, Not a Career"
Westchester-Rockland--Sept. 17... Rye Town Supervisor and congressional candidate Joe Carvin (R-NY-17) today announced that he will introduce legislation in the House of Representatives in January to eliminate federal pensions for members of Congress, if he is elected in November. Mr. Carvin, who has reduced the size of his government by 25% since taking office in 2008, has refused to accept a salary or join the state pension program to which he is entitled. His opponent, 24-year congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-WFP) is the feature of an investigative piece in today's New York Post, revealing that she is engaged in "double-dipping", a legal but controversial practice in which Ms. Lowey is accepting a $10,000 New York State pension and her $174,000 House salary concurrently. Ms. Lowey will also receive a federal pension when she ceases to be a member of Congress. "Serving in Congress was intended to be a civic honor, not a career," Mr. Carvin said. "But congressional pensions and the plethora of lucrative perks members of Congress enjoy have turned single elections into a careers and incumbencies into fortresses. This is not how American government was envisioned, and it is not serving the public well." Mr. Carvin said pensions are a key and personal incentive in making incumbents run for re-election term after term after term -- and that the judgment of members become "compromised " to special interests and party bosses over time. "Career politicians on both sides of the aisle become ingratiated to the system and their judgement becomes compromised as a result," Mr. Carvin continued. "The list of legislative chits and obligations to unions, corporations, and well-healed contributors grow, and with them the number of tax and regulatory laws increase and the staggering amount of federal debt increases. If we are ever to see a true and effective citizen legislature again, we will need to eliminate the long-term perks of the job, and House pensions are at their core." ###
