Disgusted Veteran  8d @disgustedveteran1    substack author.  I wrote non of this.  I did add one more at the bottom. 

10 Reasons You'll Never See an American Politician Quit Voluntarily

1. The Five-Year Golden Parachute

Five years. That's all it takes. Three terms in the House. Less than one term in the Senate. Serve five years and you are vested in a lifetime pension. Not a 401(k) that depends on the market. Not an IRA you have to manage. A guaranteed, taxpayer-funded pension for life. Adjusted for inflation. You will work forty years and hope Social Security is still there. They work five and never worry again.

2. The Healthcare You Cannot Afford

They have FEHB — the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. A choice of dozens of plans. Comprehensive coverage. Low premiums. Low deductibles. Low out-of-pocket maximums. They keep it for life. After they leave office. Into retirement. You have whatever your employer offers — if your employer offers anything. They voted against Medicare for All. They voted against lowering the Medicare age. They have the best healthcare in the country. You have a deductible you cannot meet.

3. The 90-Day Work Year

In 2025, the House was in session for 90 days. The Senate for 95. They worked less than a third of the year. They got paid for all of it. They got per diem for all of it. They got travel allowances for all of it. You work 260 days a year. They work 90. They are still richer than you.

4. The Insider Trading Loophole

The STOCK Act was passed to stop them. It is almost never enforced. They trade stocks based on briefings you will never see. They invest in companies they regulate. They sell before the price drops. They buy before the price rises. If you did what they do, you would be in handcuffs. They get a footnote in a news article. If they get caught at all.

5. The Government Shutdown Exception

When the government shuts down, federal employees stay home without pay. Essential employees work without pay. Members of Congress keep getting paid. The 27th Amendment prohibits changes to congressional pay from taking effect until the next election. They get their checks. On time. Every time. You get a furlough notice. They get a paycheck.

6. The Revolving Door Payoff

They leave office. They become lobbyists. They make millions. They sell access to the people they used to work with. They call their former colleagues and charge $50,000 for a one-hour meeting. You cannot do that. You do not have connections to sell. You leave your job and you leave your job. They leave office and they enter the golden years.

7. The Expense Account You Will Never See

They get per diem. They get travel allowances. They get office budgets. They get staff salaries. They get franked mail — postage paid by taxpayers. They get stationery, printing, phones, computers. The average member of Congress has an office budget of over $1 million per year. Not including staff. Not including travel. You submit receipts. They submit nothing.

8. The Job Security You Will Never Have

They are almost impossible to fire. Incumbents have a 90% reelection rate. The maps are drawn to protect them. The donors are lined up to fund them. The media is afraid to challenge them. You can be fired tomorrow. You can be laid off without warning. You can be replaced by someone cheaper. They are the cheapest employees the government has — because they set their own salary.

9. The Immunity You Will Never Enjoy

They cannot be sued for their official acts. They cannot be prosecuted for their votes. They cannot be held accountable for their speeches. They can say anything on the floor of the Senate and be protected by the Constitution. You can be sued for a tweet. You can be fired for a post. You can be canceled for a comment. They are untouchable. You are not.

10. The Power You Will Never Have

They decide who gets the contracts. Who gets the tax breaks. Who gets the bailouts. Who gets the wars. Who gets the laws. They are not just politicians. They are the gatekeepers of the American economy. They are the gatekeepers of the American military. They are the gatekeepers of the American future. They will not give that up. Not for anything.

They work 90 days. They get a lifetime pension. They trade stocks on inside information. They get paid during shutdowns. They become lobbyists. They have expense accounts. They have job security. They have immunity. They have power.

You have a vote. You have a voice. You have a choice.

They are counting on you to forget.

Don't.

Disgusted Veteran  8d @disgustedveteran1

11? Ignore repeated warnings by experts and being a threat to US national security and not be held accountable until its too late. 

WARNINGS: FINDING CASSANDRAS TO STOP CATASTROPHES  By Richard A. Clarke and R.P. Eddy,  2017: https://cco.ndu.edu/PRISM-7-2/Article/1401978/warnings-finding-cassandras-to-stop-catastrophes/   The first 8 chapters detail the millions of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars lost to catastrophes,– natural and human engineered – because those in power failed to act on the advanced expert warnings.   The last 8 chapters estimates the billions of lives and trillions of dollars humanity could save if we collectively prevented the other dire warnings - (some existential.  #1 was AI. #2 was Pandemics).   Most instructive is Chapter 9.  It outlined three cognitive reasons why humans ignore such warnings.  Since 2017 - 16 other mental factors have been identified –keeping our minds from changing.  For this list, email chuck@igc.org

Consider https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m7zmi6v2Ow  a 4 min alternative to the Peace/War unresolvable evolution of ambiguous words.  Consider a clear, measurable and doable plan that already exists.

Chuck Woolery

Former Chair, United Nations Association Council of Organizations

Former Issues Director, Global Health Council.

Former Action Board, American Public Health Association.

Former Issues Director, World Federalist Association (now Citizens for Global Solutions)

Author of 1996 and 1997 Congressional testimony warnings regarding threats to US and global bio- security.

Rockville Rotary Peace Chair

District 7620 Rotary Action Group for Peace education/media officer united with 
D7620 Rotary Action Group for Mental Health Initiatives - as good trouble maker.

chuck@igc.org   Rockville, MD 20851