Rumors of siphoning money from Medicare trust to pay for Obamacare ran rampant during the campaign between the President and Romney. Who knows if that's true, but it made me wonder why Bernie Madoff went to prison for Ponzie scheming people out of millions when, if the rumor is true, what makes a difference between Bernie's actions and the Government infringing on money we've paid for through our jobs all these years? Even more, I wonder if government officials would be so quick to initiate Obamacare if they had to "endure" it. Aren't they Americans? Why are they exempt from something they can vote into our futures? My insurance increased this year, my coverage decreased, and my drug costs went up, too. When I asked my doctor about the future of the medical profession, he wasn't able to offer any assurance that things would improve...in fact doctors are leaving the profession and a shortage is sure to occur. I honestly don't want the government determining my health care needs.
What bothers me more is that I cannot figure out why we continue to re-elect the same stale politicians when what we want is hope and CHANGE. We at least have the good sense to allow two terms for the Commander-In-Chief, yet we continue to send back old-timers who are more interested in taking a side than considering the issues at hand. That line dividing our country (GOP/DEM) is killing us. Why don't we have term limits instead of electing people to a career position where they continue to pad their pockets and vote themselves raises. Did you know they recently received one? Did you? Only one member, and he happened to be a Republican, refused a raise during a time when most Americans are struggling to get by day-to-day. Now that's what I call noble. It's time to do away with party lines and become ONE NATION, indivisible, under GOD with liberty and justice for all!
House and Senate time
| Total tenure rank |
Uninterrupted rank |
Name | Party affiliation | Total tenure time | Uninterrupted time | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Robert Byrd (H,S) | Democratic Party | 57 years, 176 days | 57 years, 176 days | |||||||||
| 2 | 2 | John Dingell (H) | Democratic Party | 57 years, 22 days | 57 years, 22 days | |||||||||
| 3 | 3 | Carl Hayden (H,S) | Democratic Party | 56 years, 319 days | 56 years, 319 days | |||||||||
| 4 | 4 | Daniel Inouye (H,S) | Democratic Party | 53 years, 118 days | 53 years, 118 days | |||||||||
| 5 | 5 | Jamie L. Whitten (H) | Democratic Party | 53 years, 60 days | 53 years, 60 days | |||||||||
| 6 | 6 | Carl Vinson (H) | Democratic Party | 50 years, 61 days | 50 years, 61 days | |||||||||
| 7 | 7 | Emanuel Celler (H) | Democratic Party | 49 years, 305 days | 49 years, 305 days | |||||||||
| 8 | 8 | Sam Rayburn (H) | Democratic Party | 48 years, 257 days | 48 years, 257 days | |||||||||
| 9 | 9 | John Conyers (H) | Democratic Party | 48 years, 1 day | 48 years, 1 day | |||||||||
| 10 | Sidney R. Yates (H,I) | Democratic Party | 48 years, 0 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 11 | 12 | Strom Thurmond (S,I) | Republican Party | 47 years, 159 days | 46 years, 57 days | |||||||||
| 12 | 10 | Wright Patman (H) | Democratic Party | 47 years, 3 days | 47 years, 3 days | |||||||||
| 13 | 11 | Ted Kennedy (S) | Democratic Party | 46 years, 292 days | 46 years, 292 days | |||||||||
| 14 | Joseph Gurney Cannon (H,I) | Republican Party | 46 years, 0 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 15 | 13 | Adolph J. Sabath (H) | Democratic Party | 45 years, 247 days | 45 years, 247 days | |||||||||
| 16 | 14 | J. Lister Hill (H,S) | Democratic Party | 45 years, 142 days | 45 years, 142 days | |||||||||
| 17 | 15 | George H. Mahon (H) | Democratic Party | 44 years, 0 days | 44 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 18 | 16 | Warren Magnuson (H,S) | Democratic Party | 44 years, 0 days | 44 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 19 | 17 | Charles Edward Bennett (H) | Democratic Party | 44 years, 0 days | 44 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 20 | 18 | Justin Smith Morrill (H,S) | Republican Party | 43 years, 299 days | 43 years, 299 days | |||||||||
| 21 | William B. Allison (H,S,I) | Republican Party | 43 years, 152 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 22 | 19 | Charles Melvin Price (H) | Democratic Party | 43 years, 110 days | 43 years, 110 days | |||||||||
| 23 | 20 | Henry M. Jackson (H,S) | Democratic Party | 42 years, 241 days | 42 years, 241 days | |||||||||
| 24 | Carter Glass (H,S,I) | Democratic Party | 42 years, 157 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 25 | 21 | John William McCormack (H) | Democratic Party | 42 years, 58 days | 42 years, 58 days | |||||||||
| 26 | 22 | Charles B. Rangel (H) | Democratic Party | 42 years, 1 day | 42 years, 1 day | |||||||||
| 27 | 23 | Bill Young (H) | Republican Party | 42 years, 1 day | 42 years, 1 day | |||||||||
| 28 | 24 | John Sparkman (H,S) | Democratic Party | 42 years, 0 days | 42 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 29 | 25 | William R. Poage (H) | Democratic Party | 42 years, 0 days | 42 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 30 | 26 | Jack Brooks (H) | Democratic Party | 42 years, 0 days | 42 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 31 | 27 | Robert L. Doughton (H) | Democratic Party | 41 years, 305 days | 41 years, 305 days | |||||||||
| 32 | 28 | Joseph William Martin, Jr. (H) | Republican Party | 41 years, 305 days | 41 years, 305 days | |||||||||
| 33 | 29 | Dave Obey (H) | Democratic Party | 41 years, 276 days | 41 years, 276 days | |||||||||
| 34 | 30 | Clarence Cannon (H) | Democratic Party | 41 years, 69 days | 41 years, 69 days | |||||||||
| 35 | 31 | John C. Stennis (S) | Democratic Party | 41 years, 59 days | 41 years, 59 days | |||||||||
| 36 | 32 | Kenneth McKellar (H,S) | Democratic Party | 41 years, 30 days | 41 years, 30 days | |||||||||
| 37 | 33 | William Huston Natcher (H) | Democratic Party | 40 years, 240 days | 40 years, 240 days | |||||||||
| 38 | Claude Pepper (H,S,I) | Democratic Party | 40 years, 207 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 39 | 34 | William P. Frye (H,S) | Republican Party | 40 years, 157 days | 40 years, 157 days | |||||||||
| 40 | 35 | Ted Stevens (S) | Republican Party | 40 years, 10 days | 40 years, 10 days | |||||||||
| 41 | 36 | Thad Cochran (H,S) | Republican Party | 40 years, 1 day | 40 years, 1 day | |||||||||
| 42 | 37 | Carl Curtis (H,S) | Republican Party | 40 years, 0 days | 40 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 43 | 38 | Peter W. Rodino (H) | Democratic Party | 40 years, 0 days | 40 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 44 | 39 | Pete Stark (H) | Democratic Party | 40 years, 0 days | 40 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 45 | Jennings Randolph (H,S,I) | Democratic Party | 39 years, 364 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 46 | Eugene Hale (H,S,I) | Republican Party | 39 years, 363 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 47 | 40 | Leslie C. Arends (H) | Republican Party | 39 years, 362 days | 39 years, 362 days | |||||||||
| 48 | 41 | Daniel A. Reed (H) | Republican Party | 39 years, 352 days | 39 years, 352 days | |||||||||
| 49 | 42 | George William Norris (H,S) | Republican Party | 39 years, 305 days | 39 years, 305 days | |||||||||
| 50 | 43 | John Taber (H) | Republican Party | 39 years, 305 days | 39 years, 305 days | |||||||||
| 51 | 44 | William M. Colmer (H) | Democratic Party | 39 years, 305 days | 39 years, 305 days | |||||||||
| 52 | 45 | Don Young (H) | Republican Party | 39 years, 304 days | 39 years, 304 days | |||||||||
| 53 | Samuel Smith (H,S,I) | Democratic Party | 39 years, 9 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 54 | John Little McClellan (H,S,I) | Democratic Party | 38 years, 329 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 55 | 46 | Morris Sheppard (H,S) | Democratic Party | 38 years, 145 days | 38 years, 145 days | |||||||||
| 56 | 47 | Ernest Hollings (S) | Democratic Party | 38 years, 55 days | 38 years, 55 days | |||||||||
| 57 | 48 | Richard Russell, Jr. (S) | Democratic Party | 38 years, 9 days | 38 years, 9 days | |||||||||
| 58 | John Sherman (H,S,I) | Republican Party | 38 years, 4 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 59 | 49 | Russell B. Long (S) | Democratic Party | 38 years, 3 days | 38 years, 3 days | |||||||||
| 60 | 50 | Patrick Leahy (S) | Democratic Party | 38 years, 1 day | 38 years, 1 day | |||||||||
| 61 | 51 | Max Baucus (H,S) | Democratic Party | 38 years, 1 day | 38 years, 1 day | |||||||||
| 62 | 52 | Chuck Grassley (H,S) | Republican Party | 38 years, 1 day | 38 years, 1 day | |||||||||
| 63 | 53 | Tom Harkin (H,S) | Democratic Party | 38 years, 1 day | 38 years, 1 day | |||||||||
| 64 | 54 | George Miller (H) | Democratic Party | 38 years, 1 day | 38 years, 1 day | |||||||||
| 65 | 55 | Henry Waxman (H) | Democratic Party | 38 years, 1 day | 38 years, 1 day | |||||||||
| 66 | 56 | Frederick H. Gillett (H,S) | Republican Party | 38 years, 0 days | 38 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 67 | 57 | Wilbur Mills (H) | Democratic Party | 38 years, 0 days | 38 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 68 | 58 | Dante Fascell (H) | Democratic Party | 38 years, 0 days | 38 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 69 | 59 | Robert H. Michel (H) | Republican Party | 38 years, 0 days | 38 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 70 | Robert Crosser (H,I) | Democratic Party | 37 years, 305 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 71 | Robert L. F. Sikes (H,I) | Democratic Party | 37 years, 290 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 72 | 60 | Nathaniel Macon (H,S) | Democratic-Republican Party | 37 years, 255 days | 37 years, 255 days | |||||||||
| 73 | 61 | Henry Cabot Lodge (H,S) | Republican Party | 37 years, 250 days | 37 years, 250 days | |||||||||
| 74 | Alben W. Barkley (H,S,I) | Democratic Party | 37 years, 74 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 75 | 62 | Henry B. Gonzalez (H) | Democratic Party | 37 years, 60 days | 37 years, 60 days | |||||||||
| 76 | Francis E. Warren (S,I) | Republican Party | 37 years, 6 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 77 | James Eastland (S,I) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 83 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 78 | 63 | Ed Markey (H) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 63 days | 36 years, 63 days | |||||||||
| 79 | 64 | Joe Biden (S) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 12 days | 36 years, 12 days | |||||||||
| 80 | 65 | John Murtha (H) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 3 days | 36 years, 3 days | |||||||||
| 81 | 66 | Orrin Hatch (S) | Republican Party | 36 years, 1 day | 36 years, 1 day | |||||||||
| 82 | 67 | Barbara Mikulski (H,S) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 1 day | 36 years, 1 day | |||||||||
| 83 | 68 | Nick Rahall (H) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 1 day | 36 years, 1 day | |||||||||
| 84 | 69 | Henry L. Dawes (H,S) | Republican Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 85 | 70 | Felix Edward Hébert (H) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 86 | 71 | Edward Boland (H) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 87 | 72 | William Broomfield (H) | Republican Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 88 | 73 | Dan Rostenkowski (H) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 89 | 74 | Neal Edward Smith (H) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 90 | 75 | Claiborne Pell (S) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 91 | 76 | Joseph McDade (H) | Republican Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 92 | 77 | Paul Sarbanes (H,S) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 93 | 78 | Pete Domenici (S) | Republican Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 94 | 79 | Ralph Regula (H) | Republican Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 95 | 80 | Christopher Dodd (H,S) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 96 | 81 | James Oberstar (H) | Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 97 | 79 | Richard Lugar (S) | Republican Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 98 | 80 | Daniel Akaka (H,S) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 99 | 81 | Norman D. Dicks (H) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 100 | 82 | Dale Kildee (H) | Democratic Party | 36 years, 0 days | 36 years, 0 days | |||||||||
| 101 | Shelby M. Cullom (H,S,I) | Republican Party | 36 years, 0 days | n/a | ||||||||||
| 102 | Henry A. Cooper (H,I) |
Just in case you're interested, you might want to check out this list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longest_living_United_States_Senator and note which are still serving.
Here's proof that some people just never go away:
http://www.mynews3.com/content/news/local/story/Reids-tenure-in-Congress-now-states-longest/Ih-qKmcvWECLZ_mpsePcjA.cspx?rss=3269
California and Nevada are two of the most financially devastated states and when it came time to vote, they put the same politicians right back into office. Does that make sense to anyone? I am neither Democrat or Republican....I chose candidates personally, not by a party affiliation. It's time to speak out, and this is my opportunity to do so and I took it.
Remember, the content reflects my opinions, and according to the constitution, at least for now, I'm still entitled to have a few. I'm putting away my soapbox and getting back to doing what I enjoy most...writing novels. There I can forget reality.
I totally agree with you about sending the same old people back and expecting changes. I could not believe it. I'm with the person who suggested a bill stating that Senators and Congressmen cannot exempt themselves from a law they pass for the ordinary citizen and cannot pass a law for themselves that exempts ordinary citizens. None of them will introduce one because they know they could not get it passed and don't want to draw the ire of their fellow Senators or Congressmen.
ReplyDeleteAnd no, I did not know they had just recently gotten a raise. But I'll bet you it was more than Medicare recipients received.