The Best Idea Yet

Buried in the middle of George Will's latest column regarding John McCain's inadequacies, was the following gem;

"No officer of any corporation receiving a federal subsidy, broadly defined, can be paid more than the highest federal civil servant ($124,010 for a GS-15)."

I've heard of salary caps before, but I'd never heard of tying subsidised corporate salaries to civil servant salaries. This is an idea that Mr. Will says John McCain has "expressed sympathy" for, although I've found no specific quote.

Something like this would put a huge roadblock in the path of the government gravy train. Of coarse, they'll find ways around it, over time, but this seems like a good place to start a fight against the general level of corruption in Washington. The key is keeping it to corporations receiving subsidies. Let the corporations and small businesses make as much as they can. This point will be especially important in the upcoming environmental battles sure to begin next spring, regardless of who wins what in November.

With both sides talking about a move away from our oil based economy and into renewable energy, the forces of the status qua are already planning their next assault on the taxpayers. The public/private partnerships often touted by Democratic candidates and big government conservatives (oxymoron) open the door to all manner of corruption. Keeping the multi-national corporations, and other masters of K Street, out of the equation while allowing the independent inventors and small cap corporations to team-up is the key to doing things right.

The big problem with all this is how to get it past the current set of players. If both presidential candidates were to make something like this a major part of their campaigns, then it could serve as a mandate. Barring that, perhaps we here in Nevada could pass some state laws to this effect, as we will no doubt play a role in any solar power or wind power deals.