When President Truman retired from office in 1952, his income was
substantially a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a
year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and
personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and, later, a
retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.
When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined,
stating, 'You don't want me. You want the office of the president, and
that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's
not for sale.' Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing
to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthd ay, he refused to
accept it, writing,
'I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the
reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise.'
We now see that the Clintons have found a new level of success in
cashing in on the presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, many
in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while
enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for
sale. Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, 'My choice
early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a
politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference.'