A Letter To My Boss.................
I have enjoyed working here these past several years. You have paid me very well and given me benefits beyond belief. Have 3-4 months off per year and a pension plan that will pay my salary till the day I die and then pay my estate one year salary death bonus and then continue to pay my spouse my salary with increases until he (or she) dies and a health plan that most people can only dream of having i.e. no deductible whatsoever.
Despite this, I plan to take the next 12-18 months to find a new position. During this time I will show up for work when it is convenient for me. In addition, I fully expect to draw my full salary and all the other perks associated with my current job.
Oh yes, if my search for this new job proves fruitless, I will be coming back with no loss in pay or status. Before you say anything, remember that you have no choice in this matter. I can, and I will do this.
Sincerely, Every Congressman/Senator running for re-election
But, they aren't paid a lot compared to private sector and they have to fund-raise 13 months a year to paid for asinine TV commercials. Not a job any sane person would want.
Our founders were very much public servants. So are many currently elected officials. It bothers me when people lump them all together because it besmirches some of the most patriotic Americans.
As for congressional pay, how about this scheme. One million dollars a year, minus their net worth. That way a real person could afford to go to congress.
Details such as whether they would ever have negative pay could be worked out.
I would like to see a law that their net worth could not be higher when they are in office than it was when they entered. This could be extended past when they leave office.
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The old, stubborn independence of his forebearers kept playing on his thoughts. It had been the bedrock of their integrity, and he was resolves to see it sustained. When his son Thomas wrote, expressing an interest in public life, Adams felt he was answering for generations of their line;
"Public business, my son, must always be done by somebody. It will be done by somebody of other. If wise men decline it, others will not; if honest men refuse it, others will not. A young man should weigh well his plans. Integrity should be preserved in all events as essential to his happiness, through every stage of his existence. His first maxim then should be to place his honor out of reach of all men. In order to do this he must make it a rule never to come dependent on public employments for his subsistence. Let him have a trade, a profession, a farm, a shop, something where he can honestly live, and then he may engage in public affairs, if invited, upon independent priciples. My advice to my children is to maintain an independent character."
