We’ve had our share of ice, cold, and snow this winter. Ushered in by what could be called the ice storm of the century, winter has trudged with a heavy foot across the landscape, bringing us back-to-back snowstorms, and this week, record-breaking low temperatures. We just can’t seem to escape its icy grip, which promises nothing but more of the same and makes us want to hunker down in the warmth and safety of our homes. The front steps are frozen, Bare Hill Pond is frozen, and now, in the face of a tanking economy, even spending is being frozen—from Beacon Hill, to Town Hall, to what President-Elect Obama calls “Main Street”—your pocketbook and mine.

Obama is talking about sacrifices Americans will have to make. Harvard Town Administrator Tim Bragan is warning about “painful spending cuts.” He has stepped up to the plate and started “walking the talk,” and is to be commended for setting an example by declining his pay raise this year.

Will the rest of us be up to the challenge? With no good news on the horizon, and no promise of a thaw in our economic future, what sacrifices will we be willing to make for the greater good?