That would be a pretty stupid thing to do when we want to go into negotiations telling managers that we are professionals who expect to be treated as professionals with pension plans. I know exactly what I'd say if I were management: "Come back and talk to us about wanting a pension plan when you treat your own employees that well. Until then, take your 401k match and like it!"

"Great big dinners" are pretty rare. He doesn't really have time for them, to be honest. He's usually working in the office too late and running from one end of DC to the other for meetings with various government officials to have enough time to sit down to some fancy dinner. Again, these jobs are lots of hard work with very little glamour. They aren't what you imagine them to be. There's a reason why Captain Prater was in office for only four years but looked ten years older when he was done.

I'm not really a big fan of the current president. I was a strong supporter of one of his opponents during the election. But I can't say that he's done a bad job. I think he's done pretty well, so far, to be honest.