New York, Feb 09: The heat is on George W Bush and Bill Clinton to give up their precious perks.
In "Citizen-in-Chief: The Second Lives of the American Presidents," out this week, Leonard Bernardo and Jennifer Weiss claim that while early commanders-in-chief lived their later years on modest incomes, today`s ex-presidents are fat cats.
"Cashing in on the presidency has become routine," a news daily quotes both, as saying.
"Following the examples of wealthy individuals like Lee Iacocca, Michael Bloomberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who at times have taken a salary of a dollar a year or less, would it not behoove our former presidents who earn millions, tens of millions, even, to decline their taxpayer-funded pensions?"
They note that Jimmy Carter didn`t accept money for his staff`s benefits and Ronald Reagan refused his health-insurance policy.
In recent years, Clinton has cleaned up on the lecture circuit and as a rainmaker for billionaire Ron Burkle.
ANI
First Published: Monday, February 9, 2009, 15:39
