There is one big story I would like to comment on today.
To prove to my critics that I am not a partisan hack, I would like to submit the following article for the praise and adoration of the Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, (D-Ariz). She has proposed a bill to Congress to enact a pay cut on members of Congress by five percent. What is even a bigger surprise is she is walking the walk, not just talking the talk. She has taken five percent of her salary every month and set it aside to pay down the national debt.
THIS IS A GREAT IDEA!!! Personally I don't think it goes far enough though. I think the pay of all government elected and appointed representatives, workers and staffer should be cut, drastically. The pay of our elected and appointed leaders (members of Congress, the President, Cabinet members, judges, etc.) should be limited to the average yearly salary of an American citizen and index to the economy. As the average wage goes up, so does their pay. The pay of all other government employees and bureaucrats should be cut between 10-20% and their maximum salary capped off at around $70,000-$100,000.
On top of that the number of staffers and bureaucrats in the government should be severely reduced. I think I saw numbers several months ago that about 25,000 people work for the U.S. Congress as staffers for individual members or staff for Congressional Committees. I would cut down on the number of staffers that members of Congress are entitled too and are paid out of the federal budget. I would limit each member of Congress to two staffers: a secretary to run their office and an personal aide. If a member of Congress wants to hire additional staff they must pay for it out of their own wallets. Also each congressional committee would be entitled to a staff of three to five individuals.
This is just a preview to a couple of future posts. I am currently working on the numbers of the 2011 federal budget. I am adjusting the budget to see how much I could realistically cut out of the budget next year. Also, over the last six months I have been working on a potential plan to cut the size of the federal bureaucracy and the executive branch.
Let me know what you think.
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