True shared sacrifice

So now we’ve got past the debt ceiling crisis, what’s next? Well, we go to the “Gang of Six” doubled. Six from the House, evenly divided by party, and six from the Senate, again evenly divided.

We’re asked not to worry because the triggers for both parties are so terrible that all those unlucky enough to be selected for this “Gang of 12” will surely bring forward a solution.

It will be interesting to see how six people who want no tax increases or increased revenues and six people who want no entitlement reform will somehow magically come up with any solution.

The one indispensable trigger they conveniently omitted was salary decreases for themselves. If you had a 10 percent decrease per month for everyone in the House and Senate and also for the president, I guarantee you a solution would be found that would pass both chambers and not be vetoed.

Being myself dependent on Social Security and Medicare, I don’t mind saying I was more than a little worried. Obviously, the salary decrease trigger would let me sleep better at night. And more importantly it would truly meet the definition of shared sacrifice.

Lloyd Brown

Elk