Politicians rarely surprise my be doing something inspiring. So, I was shocked to read that Lee Myung-Bak, the new president of South Korea, has promised to donate his salary to the poor during his entire five year term (his salary remains unknown).

That’s truly inspiring. The gesture reminds me of Steve Jobs, Eric Schmidt, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin only getting $1 for an annual salary.

An American president makes $400,000 annually for serving their country. In my lifetime, I’ve never known an American president that wasn’t already wealthy by the time that they went to the White House and I suspect that it isn’t likely to change in the future. Given that, I think American presidents (and perhaps some wealthy Senators and House members) should step up to the plate and follow Myung-Bak’s example.