Citing the need to make "tough choices," today President Obama will propose a two-year pay freeze for federal employees because, according to a White House fact sheet:
... the economy is growing, and we have gained private sector jobs for the past 10 months. But families and businesses are still hurting, and our top priority is making sure that we are doing everything we can to help boost economic growth and spur job creation.
Now, we need to turn our attention to addressing the massive deficits we inherited and the unsustainable fiscal course that we are on.
Leaving aside the question of why our top priority is taking a backseat to what The New York Times calls a "symbolic gesture," let's look at who the White House says will be affected:
From the doctors and nurses who care for our veterans to the scientists searching for better treatments and cures, the men and women who care for our national parks, and the thousands who make sure that the Social Security check is in the mail and that students get their scholarships, federal workers serve their fellow Americans.
Here's a thought -- rather than having this group of hard-working Americans shoulder the burden of being a "symbolic gesture," how about cutting the deficit by $700 billion by ending tax cuts for the wealthy instead?