I have an idea.  I think that anyone running for National office should be required, and I mean required, to look for work as a lower to lower-middle class person for a mimimum of 1 year.  That means, no Golden Parachutes, no Daddy's money, no connections, nada, zip, zilch.  They should be required to live in a place which their salary will allow, pay utilities, buy food, transportation, all on a minimum wage salary.  No perks allowed.  They should support their families on this pittance, and, if their jobs don't offer insurance, they either do without, or go to the Emergency Room.  In essence, they need to live Barbara Ehrenreich's marvelous book "Nickle & Dimed".   I think a year is a good amount of time to gain perspective at how the "other half" lives.   Hopefully it stcks.

This way, when our delightful congress people  look at the obscene salaries of the yahoos on Wall Street - who get paid to produce nothing, do nothing, except gamble with tax-payer money - they will have an objective reality from which to pull. 

On the converse side, I also feel that any congress person who votes against a public option, should forfeit their "public option" and purchase individual life insurance.  If a public option is not good enough for the masses, it is certainly not good enough for our congress people, who, much like Wall Street executives, produce nothing of value most of the time.

 I think it is far past time that we demand our "political elites" be well versed in the needs of the people.  This crosses all party and idealogical lines.  Anyone who opts out, should be denied a shot in government, whether it be House, Senate, or Presidency.  The republicans said they voted for Bush because they could see themselves having a beer with W.  Well, it's about time the political elites, of all stripes,  actually settle down, have beer, barbeque, worry about their families future, stress about how to pay for college, like the rest of us!