Wednesday, August 12, 2009

US Congress - Senate Crypt-Keepers

By Congressional Crypt-Keeper, I mean that a baby born in the year they took office is now able to drive, vote, enlist, drink, and marry.

These people have been serving in office for 21 to 50 years. If anyone can name another profession besides tenured professors who have better job security, feel free to do it. Then let's vote for some real change in Congress.

In The Senate
Name First Elected
Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)- January 3, 1959
Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA)- November 7, 1962
Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) - January 3, 1963
Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT)- January 3, 1975
Richard Lugar (R-IN)- January 3, 1977
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) - January 3, 1977
Max Baucus (D-MT) - December 15, 1978
Thad Cochran (R-MS)- December 27, 1978
Carl Levin (D-MI)- January 3, 1979
Christopher Dodd (D-CT)- January 3, 1981
Chuck Grassley (R-IA) - January 3, 1981
Arlen Specter (D-PA) - January 3, 1981
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)- January 3, 1983
John Kerry[6] (D-MA) - January 2, 1985
Tom Harkin (D-IA) - January 3, 1985
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) - January 3, 1985
Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) - January 15, 1985
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)- January 3, 1987
Richard Shelby (R-AL) - January 3, 1987
John McCain (R-AZ) - January 3, 1987
Harry Reid (D-NV) - January 3, 1987
Kit Bond (R-MO) - January 3, 1987
Kent Conrad (D-ND) - January 3, 1987
Herb Kohl (D-WI) - January 3, 1989
Joe Lieberman[7] (ID-CT)- January 3, 1989

So 25 out of 100 Senators have served 21 to 50 years in the Senate. And by the way, those numbers do not include time served in the House of Representatives. If I made a list of total time served in Congress - I'm sure it would be HUGE.

If the President of the United States has a two-term limit, then Congress should have term limits too. Checks and Balances, people. We need Cincinnatus more than these time-servers.

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