The Jan. 4 editorial, “Not on public’s dime: Political parties are private groups; let them conduct and pay for their own elections” got me thinking. What company will pay you full salary plus benefits for months on end while you spend full time looking for another job? Sounds pretty stupid, doesn’t it? Yet taxpayers are right now paying members of Congress and governors full salaries plus benefits to look for another job — the presidency. And, in the case of the current president, we will pay him full salary and huge, expensive benefits (travel, etc.) as he stumps and campaigns to keep his job. Let’s have an amendment to the Constitution stating that public officials will only be paid while actually on the job. Sounds about right to me. That notion could well be applied to virtually all people on public payrolls.
Lauraine A. Thomas
La Center
