One Cue We Should Take from the Brits

Most Americans, including me, have a hard time understanding how the Brits elect their Prime Minister. They operate under a very complicated parliamentary process that left the new Prime Minister, David Cameron, begging a minor party candidate to build a coalition government with him to defeat Gordon Brown. Due to this coalition, I thought Cameron, of the Conservative Party, would be hamstrung in cutting Britain's budget, and he may be, but he announced £6B worth of spending cuts today. Of course, a cut this small  normally would not make the headlines, but this one did, because of the character of the items that were slashed - namely, ministerial cars and chauffeurs. All high ranking government officials in jolly ole England will now have to huff it to work like the rest of us unless they occupy one of four offices: the Prime Minister, the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, the Home Secretary and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

As Steyn so deftly comments, "This is gesture politics. But symbols are important. Citizen legislators in democratic societies are not a ruling class. They should walk among us, rather than be swanking about on the public dime. If you want a chauffeured limo, get a gig in the private sector and earn it. And that goes for Nancy Pelosi's ludicrous Botox One jet, too." How soon do you think Pelosi and American politicians will follow suit? I would put all my money on "never" even though their approval ratings are apocalyptic and November is around the corner, as I have never seen such an unapologetic and entitled bunch inhabit Washington.