Steve, I do share your disdain for Congress as a body and Congress people individually. And I believe there will be a special ring in hell for a lot of those congressional staffers who act as if it were they who'd been elected. However, Congress has the same retirement system (CSRS and FERS) as other civilian government employees and they have available the same Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan as other government employees. I'm not saying they do not have perks to which we have no access. If course they do. And a relatively short term senator will eventually get a higher retirement than an average Fed retiree, but the formula is consistant. It depends upon time served and last 3 or 5 year salary, can't remember which. And yes, more of them seem to have multiple retirements -- also which most military retirees evidently have.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/pensions.asp
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=233718