Ethics law is all style, no substance

Members of Congress should use common sense when it comes to congressional felons. The recent conviction of Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, is just another reminder that Congress must do a great deal more work to regain the trust and respect of the American people.

A few weeks ago, a U.S. District Court jury in Washington found Mr. Stevens guilty on seven counts of trying to hide more than $250,000 in free home renovations and other gifts from a wealthy oil contractor. No big deal, right? What is so newsworthy about a crooked politician?

Here’s the news: Mr. Stevens, who entered the Senate in 1968, will not lose his pension. While a 2007 law — the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act — would take away a congressional pension upon conviction for a specified list of crimes, none of those crimes apply in Stevens’ case.

The law, heralded by Congress, covers only 10 specific felonies, including bribery, fraud and racketeering. But it doesn’t cover lying about gifts from wealthy government contractors.

Where is the common sense? A crime is a crime. Taxpayers have every right to demand that if a member of Congress is convicted of any felony, he or she should not get to retire on the taxpayer’s dime.

If Congress wanted to show the American people they were getting tough, they failed, because the first test of this new law fell flat.

Should Mr. Stevens retire in 2009 and begin collecting his pension, he’ll join 20 others who have been convicted and have cashed in on a lifetime pension.

The list of bad guys who violated the public’s trust and are laughing all the way to the bank includes Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, who was sent to prison on charges of keeping “ghost” employees on his payroll and embezzling public funds to buy gifts for friends and family. He was fined, served 15 months in prison and was granted a $126,000 annual federal pension. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, R-Calif., resigned in November 2005 after pleading guilty to accepting $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors and underreporting his income for 2004. He reportedly used the bribe money to buy a yacht, a Rolls Royce and a mansion in a Washington suburb. Mr. Cunningham started serving an eight-year prison sentence in March 2006 and still collects a combined $64,000-a-year congressional and military pension.

Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., D-Ohio, was bounced from Congress after being convicted in 2002 of taking bribes, filing false tax returns, racketeering and forcing aides to perform chores on his farm. He is serving an eight-year prison term and continues to receive his $40,000-a-year taxpayer-funded federal pension. Rep. Robert Ney, R-Ohio, was convicted in 2006 of doing illegal favors for a lobbyist in return for gifts, expensive meals, skybox sports tickets and luxury travel that included a golf vacation in Scotland. When he turns 62 in eight years and becomes eligible, he will receive a $33,000 annual federal pension. Rep. Albert Bustamante, D-Texas, who served time for racketeering, collects a $23,000 a year pension.

For those keeping score at home, Mr. Stevens will have a pension of about $122,000 a year, according to the National Taxpayers Union in Alexandria, Va.

All these congressional felons got the last laugh at taxpayers’ expense.

“Once again, Congress enacted an ethics law that gave the appearance of reform, rather than the substance,” Taxpayers Union spokesman Pete Sepp said in a published report.

It’s no wonder Congress still has rock-bottom poll numbers among the American public.

Congress needs to find a way to restore America’s confidence and no longer allow guaranteed pensions to be passed out to congressional felons.

Until stronger legislation is passed, members of Congress should be forced to have their current, extravagant medical and pension systems scrapped. Let them rely on Medicare and the Social Security system, and see how they like it.

Jim Pavia is the editor of InvestmentNews.

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