A Stray Thought on Fiscal Responsibility

While recently taking one of my long, gloomy (and therefore rare) looks at retirement planning, I realized how many federal officials would be getting better benefits than I ever will, benefits funded in (fractional) part by my tax dollars. Those would be the same dollars that they've often pissed away during their tenure in office.

A thought occurred to me: what if the President's, the Vice President's, and all congressfolks' pensions were directly tied to their fiscal discipline in office? That is, check the federal deficit and debt at the beginning of their terms and the end. Any increase in debt/deficit would result in no pension. The higher the percentage of deficit/debt reduction, the higher the pension. Those presiding over surpluses would get bonuses.

We'd have to make exceptions for declared national emergencies. Probably even wars. But probably only wars directly resulting from an attack on the US and definitely only wars that Congress actually, officially declared.