For many federal politicians -- both Democrat and Republican -- the biggest payday comes not while serving the American people but after leaving office.
Case in point: Joe Biden. A new report from the Washington Free Beacon has found that the former Vice President increased his income by $15 million after giving up his seat to Mike Pence.
Former Vice President Joe Biden released his tax returns on Tuesday revealing a $15 million spike in income since leaving office in 2016, primarily thanks to book sales and speaking fees.
[Biden] benefited from an extensive list of speaking events, many of which occurred during Biden's book tour for his 2017 memoir, "Promise Me, Dad."
Biden's income, along with his wife Jill's, totaled around $390,000 by the end of the Obama Administration. In the 2018 calendar year, his tax return reported an adjusted gross income of almost $4.6 million, a step down from 2017‘s $11 million.
Biden made two investments in second and third homes since leaving office, purchasing a $2.7 million vacation house on the coast of Delaware and renting a 12,000 square foot five bedroom, ten bathroom home in McLean, Virginia.
Biden isn't alone. Politicians from all stripes turn the power granted to them by the American people into lucrative second careers on the speaking circuit and in the book store. Rather than returning to and serving their local communities, they use their power and influence to enrich themselves.
While nothing can stop politicians from leveraging their position for personal gain, We the People can limit the power that these positions grant.
An Article V Convention of States -- called and controlled by the states -- has the power to limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government. These amendments can also impose term limits on federal officials, reducing their time in D.C. from a lifetime to six or eight years.
A complete package of amendments that limit federal power can transform federal service from a lucrative lifetime appointment to nothing more than a temporary service to the country. That's how the Founders imagined that our national leaders would act, and it's time we get back to that vision.
Sign the Petition below to tell your state legislators you support the Founders' solution to the Swamp!
