Quote Originally Posted by nightflier
But how do we change this? The people in congress and those who influence them are all products of the proverbial revolving door. You're basically asking them to put a lock on it and cut all those lofty perks. Not going to happen - human nature is too greedy.

Even if Obama is the Mr.Smith-Goes-To-Washington type, he simply doesn't have the political power to change this system, even from the top down. He is surrounded by people who make up this system and he's been put up there by them on the promise that he wouldn't mess with the status quo. I still think (and hope) that he wants to do some good things, but the more he tries, the more he's finding out it's not going to come to pass. How many campaign promisses has he already had to abandon or "modify"?

We had another president like that once, his name was Carter.
You do not have to cap their salaries through legislation, you cap it through competition with a public option. You force them to reduce their overhead, so they can effectively compete with a public option. The most logical place is the place with the most waste, and that would start right at the top of the food chain - the part that seems to consume the most money.

I personally would not look at what Obama has had to abandon since he became President. I think every candidate has to face the realities of stepping into this office. I believe his intentions were pure and honest, but he has had to face a reality that is not pure or honest. Compromise is what makes a democratic engine turn. I just want to see how this all plays out. I am very worried for my kids though. With all that is going on, I get the feeling their quality of life will be far less than mine, and that bothers me a lot