Sharing the Pain
In what is a symbolic move, the Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives has ordered a 3% pay cut for his members. While it only generates a little over $250,000 in savings, it shows that no one is immune from the state's budget fallout. The Senate Majority Leader said he will take a 3% cut as well, but is leaving it up to his members whether they will follow suit. And, the Governor has accepted a 10% pay cut.
This is in stark contrast to my own state of NY where NONE of our politicians is taking a pay cut, yet they talk often about sharing the pain. Of course, sharing the pain in politicspeak usually means "I am going to raise your taxes", which is exactly what they're doing in NY. They are raising the sales tax, imposing a surcharge on the personal income tax for the wealthy, and raising a boatload of fees on everyone. I am still trying to figure out how my legislature is feeling any pain- they have the same sized staff, the same salary, the same per diem, the same lulu's for leadership positions. Leading by example is not their strong suit.

(Michigan story on CNN)