Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Now this boss isn't looking to make any friends

Obama's first Day on the job- Check out what he did today?

Belt-Tightening 2:06 p.m. Welcome to the White House. Did I tell you there won’t be any pay raises?
That was essentially the message President Obama delivered to senior members of his administration who were sworn into their new jobs on Wednesday afternoon.
During a ceremony in Room 450 of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Mr. Obama signed the first executive order of his presidency, a measure intended to fulfill a campaign promise by closing the what he called the “revolving door” of people who immediately segue from government to lobbying.
“Public service is a privilege. It’s not about advantaging yourself. It’s not about advancing your friends or your corporate clients,” Mr. Obama said. “It’s not about advancing an ideological agenda or the special interests of any organization. Public service is simply and absolutely about advancing the interests of Americans.”
The rule would freeze salaries at their current levels for the White House employees who earn more than $100,000 a year. About 100 staffers fall into that category, if the salaries are in line with what positions paid during the last administration.
“Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington,” Mr. Obama said.
The lobbying rules would attempt to keep advisers from having an influence over the administration after leaving the White House. New employees who came from the lobbying world, he said, cannot work on subjects for which they lobbied.
All White House personnel are required to take an ethics class similar to one that he said he attended last week.

I would love to learn more about the ethics class. I am proud of him. This is a big step.

1 comment:

KayKay said...

I wonder if you were proud of him when he tripled our national debt and sold the children of this nation into tax slavery.