The Obama administration plans to cut total compensation—by an average of 50%—for the top executives at seven companies that were some of the worst offenders in the financial debacle that helped plunge us into a recession. (See the links below for additional details.)

On one hand, I’m not at all crazy about the government dictating compensation packages—for anyone. On the other hand, the situation reminds me of the state of my room when I was a teenager. My mom would continually tell me to clean it, which annoyed me to no end. One day I snapped and yelled at her to quit nagging me about it. And she said, quite calmly: “You’re perfectly aware it needs done. Just do it yourself, and then I won’t have to tell you to do it.”

What are your thoughts on this latest plan? Is the government overreaching, or do these companies require “parenting” since they aren’t taking action themselves?