President Obama has decided to give back $20,000 worth of his salary to the Treasury Department to show solidarity with government employees who will soon feel the sting of the sequestration. Curiously, Richard Cohen, who usually falls on the liberal side of things, was critical of the President in a Washington Post article entitled “Obama’s insulting salary Stunt” 4/4/2013.
Does the 20 grand matter in the overall scheme of things? Not really, but unlike Cohen I don’t feel insulted by it.
Cohen pointed out that the President makes $400,000 a year, plus a lot of travel $, and it’s not like he’s paying room and board at that big White House he’s staying in either. So the President is giving back 5% of his salary, but it is a big salary and when you add in all the perks, it’s much less than a 5% give back.
I say, hey, it’s better than nothing. If the President likes big government (and, well, he does) then I say it’s great for him to make a big voluntary contribution to it. I think Congress should, too.
Better yet, how about every year that Congress votes to spend more money than they take in, they should take whatever that percentage is and deduct it from their pay? Let’s give these people some incentive to be fiscally responsible.
So what do YOU think of the President’s 5%?