Work for $1 a year?

As the auto bailout gets closer and closer to fruition, I can not help but wonder what goes on in the minds of our elected officials. The demand that auto executives should work for a dollar a day, and executive bonuses be cut, while the companies they run are struggling is actually a good first step. If my business was struggling to pay our bills, my compensation would be one of the easiest items to cut if we were running out of liquidity (Luckily we are not). The hypocrisy I see with our illustrious members of congress is that our country is in financial distress, only they choose to turn a blind eye. Where are the calls for our leaders to cut their pay, will President-elect Obama work for a dollar during his first year as President while our country struggles with an ever growing deficit and debt? Will House Speaker Pelosi give up her private jet (taxpayer funded of course) and fly commercial on her next jaunt back to San Francisco. If every member of the House, Senate and Executive branch suspended their pay for one year, that would save the taxpayers approximately $100 million dollars. To me, that would be a pretty good start to getting government spending under control. I have a gut feeling that if our elected officials in the Federal Government had to go without pay until they came up with a balanced budget, that some excessive government spending might magically get cut. You may think this a bit simplistic, or that $100 million is but a drop in the bucket of our $500 billion projected budget deficit. Their always has to be a first step toward recovery, what better way to shake the denial out of our government. A friend of mine recently told me that it was too late for the US, that we had already passed the tipping point and that our era of global dominance is nearing its end. He may be right, but lets just say that I have some Hope of my own, and I do not think it is too late to Change the way we do business. If I am wrong then no matter what we do today, the United States Government will spiral ever deeper toward bankruptcy. Will you join me in calling for our elected officials to work for a dollar a year? Barack Obama and his family will not be strapped for cash, Joe Biden might be able to get by, and Nancy Pelosi surely will not have any issues paying the bills. While were at it maybe George Bush will give back the $3.2 million he made over the last 8 years. So lets stand up and ask for some sacrifices from our elected officials. One can only hope......