Rules For Thee But Not For Me: Congressional Exemptions (Including Covid Vaccine)

Maybe it's the word "mandate" which I don't like. It conjures up images of jackboots. It sounds so finite; so authoritarian.  I've never cared for authoritarianism, especially when it comes from the government, and particularly when it involves my personal choices. I've always been a strong advocate of individual rights.  So were our Founding Fathers. They were big on individual rights and restricting government's ability to impede those rights.

So, when President Joe Biden comes out with "mandates" about vaccinations, I have an issue with that. It's not that I necessarily oppose the vaccinations. I think they are likely beneficial, particularly if you're someone with a impaired immune system such as the elderly or someone with a illness which affects their immune system. However, the government also claims natural immunity alone isn't enough even for young and healthy people, which seems odd.    

Naturally, I have some questions about the vaccines themselves and the record time they were developed and approved. Most vaccines go through a long and laborious procedure of test trials and reviews lasting years, not four months, before being receiving the FDC stamp of approval (in fact, the average process takes 10-15 years). Apparently, however, the COVID vaccines were an exception, which is a little disconcerting.

And yet, President Biden has issued a mandate requiring virtually everyone to either get vaccinated or regularly tested.  Many employers, as well as schools, however, have insisted that everyone be vaccinated or lose their job. Other employers are more "lenient".  They are opting to forego proof of vaccination and instead require weekly testing, wearing a mask, and avoiding contact with customers and other employees as much as possible. How generous, especially if your income depends on customer contact (note intended sarcasm).

One reason I italicized the word "virtually" is because this mandate, which is causing so much grief among you and I, doesn't apply to members of Congress, the President, or their immediate staff. Yelp, you read that right. President Biden, VP Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, and the usual suspects are exempt from the "jab". That doesn't mean they can't get the shot if they want to. It's just means they don't have to if they don't want to. I have a problem with that.

If the various vaccines are so safe, and Covid is so contagious, then why are they exempt from the same jab we're told we have to go to work, send our children to school, or is required by all other government employees including the military?  As an aside, all four of the military branches discharged military personnel for refusing the vaccination.

We've all been told to "social distance" by at least six feet, wear a mask, and avoid social gatherings, and yet how often have we seen government leaders, such as members of Congress, huddle around a microphone or photo-op without a mask (or drop their mask as soon as they think the press is leaving)? How about members of the G7 all setting around talking mask free? Monkey see monkey don't?

I'm particularly amused...and a little miffed...to hear government leaders or the uber rich tell us wear masks indoors or to avoid contact with family, especially during the holidays; tell us to remain inside unless it's essential that we go out, and then avoid all contact and get back as soon as we can. I'm sure they're in full compliance with their own instructions...not! Vaccinations aside, all this made me wonder what else besides the Covid jab is Congress and the President exempt from but still applies to us.

One item which caught my eye immediately is FOIA, or the Freedom of Information Act. Members of Congress, and any associated committees, are not subject to FOIA, which, in effect, means they don't answer to you. The explanation given is that responding to FOIA requests could put Congressional members "under undo pressure".

What about "insider trading"? In 2012, President Obama signed into law a bill prohibiting insider trading; that is, financial information received from sources outside the normal legislative process. But some enterprising legislators left a loophole in the bill as usual. Information received in the normal conduct of legislative business, including closed briefings, is not considered insider trading. So, if you learn something in a closed briefing about, let's say, a vaccine, that's not considered to be insider trading, you might want to have your broker on speed dial.  

Whistleblower protection. Ever hear the expression "See something say something"? Well, not if you work for the legislative branch! Congress passed the Whistleblower Protection Act in 1989 to encourage federal employees, including those working in the executive branch to speak up if they see or hear something that's not kosher while protecting them from retaliation, including termination (at least in theory). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act gives similar protection to workers in the private sector.

However, Congress exempted itself and those who work in the legislative branch from protection. That includes those working in the Library of Congress, the Architect of the Capitol, and other federal jobs. So, if you  suspect something you'd better keep your damn mouth shut if you know what's good for you!

Along those same lines is subpoenaing health and safety records, and the ability to conduct investigations. The Occupational and Health Safety Act permits the U.S. Department of Labor to conduct investigations and obtain records from private businesses if required. However, the Office of Compliance, which issues those subpoenas, does not have the authority to investigate or subpoena records of alleged violations from the legislative branch. Kinda handy don't you think?

Public sector unions are the largest segment of organized labor in the United States. However, in addition to the above, Congress is exempt from keeping regular workplace records such as pertaining to the Age Discrimination Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act  to name just two.

It's worth nothing that in 1997, Congress passed Congressional Accountability Act. What's that you ask? It required Congress to adopt and apply certain legislation which had previously been signed into law but which Congress has exempted itself from.

A few of those laws (and when they were enacted) included the 1964 Title VII Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the American with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, the Occupation Health and Safety Act of 1970, and the Veteran's Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994. Remember, these weren't formally adopted by Congress until 1997 even though they were passed into law years or decades earlier.

Then there's the topic of receiving outside money. Members of Congress receive a base salary of $174,000 (Majority and minority leaders in the Senate make a base of $193,400).  The House Speaker (that's Nancy Pelosi) makes $223,500. That doesn't include all the various perks they get such as gym membership, per diem, subsidized insurance (there's a taxpayer based fund which pays their premiums), first class seats on planes, free parking...anywhere (and no tickets!). Of course, there's always the "outside" perks which really make the job worthwhile.  

Why fly commercial when you can get a catered flight on a private airplane courtesy of a corporation or political association anywhere and at any time you want? Why live off a measly $174,000 when you can form your own personal leadership PAC to solicit mega donations which you can use to pay for all sorts of "political" related expenses? Others have set up special tax exempt foundations (funded by a "pay to play" scheme) and pay themselves in the six or seven figure range for "consulting".

You also can get speaking fees paying in the hundreds of thousands.  In 2001, Bill and Hillary gave 729 political talks averaging $210,795 each of them! After her tenure as Secretary  of State, Hillary received $22 million dollars in speaking fees. Most of the money---15.9 million---came from corporations which regularly lobby Congress.

While ordinary members of Congress may not do that well, they can still make a large chunk of change, and we're not even talking book deals or semi-regular appearances on talk shows! As an aside, bear in mind that just over 50% of Congressional members were millionaires (many are multi-millionaires) going into a job that pays $174,000.  You can bet that ain't doing it for their health or our wellbeing either.

The top 10% of Congressional members have three times the wealth as the bottom 90%, which is still far more than the average American household owns. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), saw her wealth go from $41 million to $115 million since making it into that top 10% bubble. Senator Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) wealth went from a paltry $3 million dollars to over $34 million. Then again, for some it doesn't matter. Senator Kelly Loeffer (R-GA) came into the game with a net worth of over $500 million.  The game has been rigged so that only those with deep pockets can play.

On the topic of money, there is one myth I want to dispel. Members of Congress don't get their salary for life, even if they serve just one term. Members can receive a full pension only if they're 62 years old and served for a minimum of five years; 50 years old and have served 20 years; or they've served for 25 years regardless of their age.

 Also, regardless of how long they served, they cannot receive more than 80% of the salary at the time they left Congress. They must also pay 1.3% of their salary into the Federal Employees' Retirement System and 6.2% in Social Security taxes.

Many members of Congress, including key staffers, often end up on Washington's K Street as corporate lobbyists, "advisers" or "consultants" (members of Congress must legally wait 12 months before they start glad handing their former colleagues). How many are we talking about?

About 78% of former House members and 87% of former Senate members, plus key staff members, become lobbyists while most of the remainder "advise" or "consult" on a part-time basis. On average, when a Congressman becomes a lobbyist, they get a 1,452% raise over their former $174,000 salary (plus all the perquisite perks) while lobbyists spend approximately $3 billion dollars lobbying Congress and other federal agencies. Lobbyists also write the overwhelming majority of all legislation too.  Is it any wonder that we're a Corporatocracy?

On that note, I'd like to ask you dear reader if any of this sounds like "socialism" to you? I can't imagine it does. Socialism is public ownership or control. Communism is state ownership of everything. That's includes private businesses, banks, and property. That's means no Wall Street. No lobbyists. That means everything you read above couldn't and wouldn't happen under socialism, Communism or Marxism.

Hopefully, this article has shed some light on the abuses and misuses of Congress, as well as the political system in general, for you. President Biden can "mandate" all he wants, but for countless Americans, it carries little or no weight, especially given that Biden and Congress have exempted themselves. But, as shown above, they've exempted themselves from many other laws too (and that's just a partial list).

The Status Quo that created the rules created the two tier legal system. Some say it's biased towards blacks, or Hispanics, or gays, or women, or the poor, and in a sense they'd be right.  Its aim is to separate us from them and us from each other. The more divided we are, the easier we are to control and manipulate. President John Kennedy said, in 1962, that "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable". That clock is about to strike midnight.

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Why is Congress exempt from the Biden Covid mandate?

No, President Biden's mandate for federal workers does not apply to members of Congress and their staff

Here's who paid Hillary Clinton $22 Million in Speaking Fees

Majority of Lawmakers in the 116th Congress are millionaires

When a Congressman becomes a lobbyist he get a 1,452% raise(on average)

 

Do As We Say, Congress Says, Then Does What It Wants

Perks Members Of Congress Give To Themselves

 

Laws That Do Not Apply To Congress

Congress exempt from several federal laws

How Senators May have Avoided Insider Trading Charges

A 'Shot' in the Dark: To Vaccinate or Not

Anyone who knows me understands that I am a independent thinker. I have absolutely zero tolerance for dogma of any sort. So, it's not surprising that the cockles of my heart were downright giddy when I read about the number of teachers, doctors, nurses, truck drivers, air traffic controllers, pilots, and all the rest who chose to go home than submit to a defacto mandate from government and business to get a COVID vaccination. 

Now, some of you must be stunned or even flabbergasted to hear that. After all, look at the burden its placing on those who decided to comply and return to work. Would it surprise you to know that I can agree?  There is an inordinate burden being placed on those who opted for the shot and went back to work. For many, not only are they doing their own job, they're also being forced to pick up the slack for those who decided to opt out.

The result has been unstocked shelves, unfilled prescriptions, an absence of replacement parts, longer waits in lines, fewer people to answer the phone at businesses, unavailable or prolonged appointments, not to mention longer work hours for some, drive through only, and even the consolidation of stores, leaving many people having to travel a little further to find an open location (made worse by the higher gas prices, which have recently increased for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which includes fewer people available to unload the tankers sitting outside of  harbors or truckers willing to transport it).

On top of the that, we seem to have fewer people willing to work. It seems that there are "help wanted" signs practically everywhere. I almost feel sorry for those individuals standing on corners with their little cardboard signs begging for money. Who wants to handout "spare change" when now is the best time ever for them to get a job and get their lives back together?

Interestingly, there are about 9.2 million job openings at present, and yet unemployment is at record highs with some 8 million unemployed Americans, and that doesn't include the millions who are underemployed, working outside of the industry they want, or those who either are working part-time and want a full time job or visa versa. What's going on here?

The downturn in employed individuals appeared to have begun with the onset of COVID-19 when the government all but shut down the economy, urging only "essential" workers to report to their jobs and asking the rest of us to stay home. Schools and universities were closed, as were daycare facilities, and most stores in general. Only a small handful of services were open, including many doctor's offices. Dentist office were closed, as were courts (trials were postponed) while hospitals, gas stations, grocery stores, and pharmacies remained open.

To offset the sudden loss of income, unemployment benefits were extended and ordinary households were issued supplemental income checks by the government to help get them through. Meanwhile, insanity seemed to run amuck as people started hoarding paper towels, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, milk, butter, and other food staples which created panic and artificial shortage.

At the same time, we were encouraged to wear nose and mouth coverings, which many thought of as some sort of shroud akin to the ones used during the Black Plague. Nevertheless, this "shroud" became our admission pass should we want to go anywhere, be it to the store, doctor's office, or just about anywhere else that was open. For a few enterprising Americans, making and selling masks became a cottage industry. It wasn't long before other more established businesses got in on the act with "extra layers", filters, while some were even copper enhanced!

Simultaneously, with all the "peaceful protests", resulting in looting, arson, destruction of property, and vandalism, people went on a buying spree of ammo and guns of all types (not to mention the government's quiet buying spree of ammo). It seemed like chaos was everywhere, and then, just like magic, came Big Pharma and Washington to rescue with their hastily produced (and even hastier approved) vaccines.

Americans, in droves, lined up to get an injection of the magic elixir. Meanwhile, the government and corporate owned media went on a full court media press to encourage everyone to step up and get the shot. It seems like we were being told from every corner and from nearly every expert and pseudo-expert (not to mention a few quacks) to get vaccinated. 

Gradually, the lines for the vaccines got smaller, more stores opened, and most of the artificial shortages started to become a thing of the past. At the same time, fewer and fewer people wore their "shrouds". However, in its place, a new "passport" came into being---your proof of vaccine card.

Many businesses and government agencies (including courts) now required proof of your compliance, which reminded many Americans of the "Kennkarte" (personal ID card) demanded of German citizens and those in occupied countries by the nefarious Gestapo of Nazi Germany (Soviet citizens, as well as those in Warsaw Pact nations carried a similar ID card post WWII). 

For the majority of Americans, having to show proof of their compliance hit them wrong, particularly since at the same time, federal and state governments were considering mandates to force individuals to comply. There was never anything from the government or health officials which dictated the mandatory vaccination of all citizens. It was left up to each of us to be vaccinated or not, although the government and others (including employers) were strongly encouraging it, which brings us full circle.

A large percentage of Americans---about 45%--- have elected not to get the anti-COVID shot for various reasons as of July 2021. They believe that COVID is nothing more than variant of the flu; perhaps artificially enhanced to be more virulent, but nothing more than our own immunity couldn't handle (assuming we didn't have any illnesses which suppressed our immune system). 

These individuals believed that collectively, a "herd immunity" would be formed which would all but eliminate COVID and change it into little more than a nuisance, albeit a potentially serious one. They also encouraged those with impaired immune systems to get the vaccination(s) as a way to protect themselves. This notion of "herd immunity", originally encouraged at the initial outbreak of COVID, was now being downplayed by the government and some health officials.

The result has been a unintentional standoff between those who support free choice (to vaccinate or not) and validity of individual and herd immunity versus the government's (and other's) insistence that the only true protection is immunization by vaccine.  Businesses which had required proof of vaccination of their employees (or face sanctions up to and including termination) has seen the majority of their employees not blink at this COVID standoff and take the latter option, whatever that happens to be.

The same has applied in several other occupations including air traffic controllers, pilots and crew, firefighters, nurses, doctors, and hospital employees, truck drivers, warehouse workers, store employees, and even restaurants to name just a few.

Police officers and others in law enforcement also drew a line in the proverbial stand. Already facing massive shortages as a result of early retirements, resignations, and lack of available recruits thanks to last year's anti-law enforcement protests and demands to defund police departments, now officers are rejecting demands by the state to get vaccinated (this also applied to other first responders).

Even the military is seeing a downturn in retention and recruitment, amid the growing threat of China and possible terrorists attacks now that the Taliban is back in charge of Afghanistan and ISIS has returned (to paraphrase Mark Twain's famous quote, "talk of their demise has been greatly over exaggerated"), as military personal, who are inoculated against practically everything you can imagine, are refusing the COVID shots.

So, what does this mean to you and me? In short, we are facing what will surely be the first of a standoff between the Status Quo and its supporters over what constitutes "public health" and those that are ardent defenders of free choice; individuals who believe they have the right to decide whether to get vaccinated or not (the irony of "my body my choice" isn't lost on anyone).

As a result, these individuals have elected to risk financial ruin and who knows what else by refusing to get vaccinated. Unemployment, if covered, is only a short term fix. At some point, they will have to go back to work. Their only hope at this point is that given the millions of job openings, they can find a job that pays as well or better and doesn't require vaccination.

Meanwhile, employers who do require vaccinated employees will have to decide to stand by their guns and suffer it through while encouraging their employees to endure the extra hours. Most likely this will prove to be a boon to the employees. With a labor shortage of this scale, now is the time to seek higher pay, better benefits, promotions, and so forth. Employers can do little but go along, though some may go belly up. Many are already offering sign on bonuses, higher hourly wages, and special bonuses. 

COVID has already morphed once since the introduction of the vaccines (the "Delta" variant), and there's the possibility that it will continue to morph before it can finally be controlled. Given the uncertainty of the COVID's origin (despite strong suspensions), there is the likelihood other viruses will pop up. If so, then what? Will we go through this all over again? What about the concerns of the vaccines themselves?

Numerous doctors, nurses, immunologists, and others in the healthcare have come out against the vaccines, equating them to the snake oil sold by hucksters of past generations. They can be found all over social media pontificating their opinions. There are even claims that the vaccines contain chemicals which can destroy or at the very least, impair our own immune systems or having magnetic ingredients which enable the government (or corporations) to track our every movement. Some claim that the vaccines will help depopulate an overcrowded earth.

Personally, I can understand the need for the vaccinations, especially when it comes to protecting those with impaired immune systems. At the same time, each individual has a natural right to decide for themselves what to do with or to their own body. If I chose to vaccinate, that's my choice and not anyone else's, especially not the government's and certainly not any business.

Others will argue that a employer has a legal duty to provide a safe working environment, and they are right. Employers do have a legal right to protect their workers. That's the purpose of OSHEA. Schools have an obligation to keep students safe as well. But, do they have a right (or legal obligation) to demand that everyone shows proof of vaccination?

 When I was growing up in Florida back in the 1960's, everyone had to be vaccinated. I assume that's still the case. This is just one more vaccination to add to the list isn't it? But, if the majority are vaccinated, they are presumed "protected". So, what if I opt out? What if I was already exposed? My body will create its own natural antibodies to protect me. If I am willing to accept that risk, what's the problem?

As to the vaccines being used as a tracking device, why? We are already a surveillance state. Our movements, purchases, phone calls, computer and Smartphone use, and so forth are already monitored and recorded. They've got satellites which can literally peer over our shoulders and see what we're reading. They don't need a vaccine. As for the vaccine's contents, I have no idea. Biology was never my strong suit. I specialized in economics and the social sciences. Nevertheless, while I trust science, I trust my body's natural immune system more. It's time society did likewise and got people back to work. 

 

Help Wanted: Why the U.S. Has Millions of Unfilled Jobs

 

Unvaccinated and misunderstood? Let's Talk

Why COVID-19 Vaccines Should Not Be Required For AllAmericans

By The Numbers: Who's Refusing COVID Vaccinations---And Why

45% of Unvaccinated Americans Say they Will Definitely Not Get the Vaccine