Former U.S. Rep. James Traficant is a free man today. The Ohio Democrat was released from a federal prison on Wednesday, after serving an eight-year sentence on various corruption convictions.

The 68-year-old Traficant, who will be on probation for three years, will have an income whether he finds work or not. He will be collecting both state and federal pensions. His retirement benefits from Congress alone are about $37,000 a year.

Traficant was convicted in 2002 of racketeering, bribery, obstruction of justice and tax evasion. All of the offenses involved abuse of his office as a member of Congress. Yet he still will receive a pension funded by taxpayers.

That is outrageous, of course - but it's the law. Members of Congress are eligible to receive their pensions regardless of what crimes they may commit - unless they are convicted of treason.

Traficant is not the only lawmaker ever to be convicted of a crime. Former U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, who represented East Ohio, also served time in prison. He, too, is eligible to collect a pension.

Why has Congress not changed the law to bar pension payments to former members who are convicted felons? Congress has been described as the most exclusive club on earth - with its members looking out for one another in good times and bad.

That needs to change. Americans should demand that the law be altered to deny pensions to lawmakers convicted of felonies.