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In a Budget Gesture, Obama Will Return 5% of His Salary

You guys would complain if he cured cancer, swore off golf, and guided White House Tours himself.

Just saying, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case with TNE, Duece, Wiseone, and Jet who all said some negative things about this. It's not like it's just been those on the right somewhat poo pooing htis.
 
I think everybody in public office should take a pay cut, and I think Republicans should have done it first since their party complains the most about spending.

I really don't understand why anybody is attacking the president over this. As much as they have been telling us to sacrifice: pay more taxes, tighten our belts, learn to deal with budget cuts, ect. At least some figures in office are stepping up to the plate and making sacrifices themselves.

It's really perplexing to see some many of you complaining about this, when everybody in office should be doing it.

I don't think anyone is really complaining about it.

We just see it for what it is: A political stunt.

He'll certainly benefit a lot more for the stunt then if he actually had the $20,000.
 
How about less vacations, concerts, etc? I know, I know libs "Bush did it too!!!". Well, we're trying to get away from that right?
 
I've been saying for a long time that the President, the Vice President, and all members of Congress should do this until we come up with a budget and until the budget is in balance.

This is symbolic. It's not enough money to put a dent in the deficit problems, but it's a good thing just the same. And, as I predicted before reading any of the followup posts, some people are determined to hate Obama anyway. If he saved a child from drowning, they would say, "OMG, he put his hands all over that child." If he found a cure for cancer, they would say, "He's playing God." There is absolutely no good reason to fault the President for doing this, regardless how you feel on his other policies. And there are policies of his that I disagree with. Strongly
 
Because
it's really not all that much of a sacrifice - $20,000. Once he leaves office he'll be taking hundred of thousands from us every year until he dies. That's in addition to the millions he'll make doing whatever it is he wants to do.

For the average American, it amounts to "here, let me buy you dinner" - a nice gesture unless you're announcing to the world "I feel your pain!" I am going to make sacrifices too! Let it be known to all that I'm buying someone dinner" (waits for applause).

He doesn't have to give anything back at all. And he is the president. It's a very stressful job, nobody should be expected to work as the president for free.

It should set an example. Are your representatives choosing to take steeper pay cuts than Obama, or are they not cutting their pay at all?

How many people in office fly on private jets? This should be a non partisan issue. All of our public figures should be scrutinized and all of them should be making scarifices.
 
It's
really an empty gesture and that's the problem. When you're the leader and you tout a 5% paycut that you're giving yourself while your workers are having to take a 20% pay cut, is that really something to tout like Obama is doing?

Yes, there will be some that will attack Obama no matter what, however, in this case I think the criticism is quite valid. At least take the same pay cut as the people working for you are having to take if you're going to praise it.

Your complaint that his sacrifice isn't that great is fair, but it's not fair that you're only complaining about him and not complaining about any of the other thousands of people in public office that did nothing to stop the sequester.

They should all take a pay cut, and they should all stop using private jets for every single trip they take.
 
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How about less vacations, concerts,
etc? I know, I know libs "Bush did it too!!!". Well, we're trying to get away from that right?

They all do it. John Bohener, Pelosi, etc. I am more or less shocked that the public has failed to demand they all start giving some of those perks up. But they are the ones running the show, and most people are either in the democratic or the GOP pocket. They set the tone, and they expect us to make all the sacrifices.

I can't attack Obama for this, but I will say that a lot of American people are being played for stupid.
 
Lets see if any other Democrats will join-in with Obama.....now that Kerry, Napolitano, and Lew has followed suit. :lol:

Following Obama, Kerry to donate part of salary.....

2013-04-03t172040z_1_cbre9321c6j00_rtroptp_3_france-kerry.jpg


WASHINGTON (AP) — Three Cabinet secretaries became the latest senior administration officials to give back part of their salaries, in the spirit of government spending cuts.

The announcements that Secretary of State John Kerry, the richest Cabinet member, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew will voluntarily reduce their pay came a day after President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said they'd return 5 percent of their paychecks to the Treasury.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Kerry, however, will give his 5 percent to a charity for department employees. She said he already makes significant charitable donations.

Kerry makes $183,500 this year. His donation is worth $9,175.

The former Massachusetts senator was worth more than $184 million at the time of his 2011 Senate financial disclosure form. His wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, is heiress to the Heinz ketchup fortune and is reportedly worth more than $1 billion.....snip~

Following Obama, Kerry to donate part of salary

Maybe like Heinz Ketchup.....ALL of those serving In Congress will squeeze out a last drop too.
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They all do it. John Bohener, Pelosi, etc. I am more or less shocked that the public has failed to demand they all start giving some of those perks up. But they are the ones running the show, and most people are either in the democratic or the GOP pocket. They set the tone, and they expect us to make all the sacrifices.

I can't attack Obama for this, but I will say that a lot of American people are being played for stupid.
I'm especially surprised that the insider trading our reps and senators enjoy hasn't been a larger issue. That is blatant abuse of power that is legal.
 
I'm especially surprised that the insider trading our reps and senators enjoy hasn't been a larger issue. That
is blatant abuse of power that is legal.

I agree. They make all the rules they play by, and public gives them all a free pass. We should be scrutinizing their pay and perks, and their insider trading.
 
He would have been better off not doing
anything at all. Ya know I don't get him, or his advisors. Sometimes their political moves are brilliant, and sometime, not so much. This qualifies under the not so much banner.


Tim-

It's hard to say this is just a political move on Obama's part, because he wasn't the first person to give any amount of his salary back. Chuck Hagel was the first to do it, then Obama followed him.

I haven't.seen anybody attack Hagel or Jerry, only Obama is getting attacked.

Now Biden says he won't donate any of his salary.
 
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