So we’ve been asked to be of greater service to our country. We’re supposed to stop putting off hard decisions. Do you suppose top presidential staffers thought part of the pain meant their salaries would be frozen? They got the word when President Barack Obama delivered an obvious message. The rest of America is tightening their belts; Washington should, too.
He announced that anyone making $100,000 or more would have their pay frozen.
In retrospect, it seems an obvious place to tighten. Many of these staffers make far more than $100,000 a year. Many people in the private sector, who make far less, have had their pay frozen for far longer — if not reduced.
Many municipalities in Virginia and other states enacted hiring freezes in late 2007 or early 2008. States, which unlike the federal government have constitutional requirements to pass balanced budgets, are really feeling crunched right now.
So how to respond to at least part of President Obama’s call for service and personal responsibility? Most Americans aren’t making $100,000 or even half that. Many are in debt or fear for the future of their jobs.
It sounds cliché, but the only way out is through. Small steps can turn things around, albeit slowly.
And while White House staffers lament their salary freezes, there are plenty others who wish we had one of those salary-frozen $100,000-a-year (or more) jobs so we could put a bit more in our savings and our dwindling 401(k) investments.
— The Bristol Herald Courier
Stafford County Sun editorials represent the opinion of the managing editor. Other columns, letters and cartoons on his page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily the Stafford County Sun.
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