In response to the news that Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is leaving the White House to enter the private sector, I sent the following letter to the Chronicle:

re:  "Modest pay" vs. "millionaires and billionaires"

In explaining the departure of Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, President Obama remarked that Gibbs has "had a six-year stretch now where basically he’s been going 24/7 with relatively modest pay."  An interesting remark, since during the debate regarding the extension of the "Bush tax cuts" for those making over $200,000 per year, the President routinely referred to them as "tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires".

The salary for Robert Gibbs while working at the White House was $172,000 per year.  It is interesting that only $18,000 separates "modest pay" from "the richest 2%" and "millionaires and billionaires".

Sincerely,
Dave Smith
Houston, TX