When an elected official does wrong people respond by saying, “Vote him out!” If the offender is an appointed official people say, “Fire him!” These people have mistaken voting out or firing government officials as a form of punishment. It’s not. In fact getting voted out or fired is often what unlocks lucrative opportunities for the ousted official:
Four-star General Ray Odierno retired from his position as U.S. Army chief of staff on Friday. Now, less than a week after mustering out, he’s cashing in. The former general has taken a job as a senior adviser to the investment firm JPMorgan Chase.
In a press release posted on JPMorgan’s website on Thursday, the firm announced that Odierno is joining the company in “a senior advisory capacity,” providing “strategic advice and global insights” to CEO Jamie Dimon as well as the company’s board of directors. The announcement also said Odierno “will represent JPMorgan Chase through engagement with clients, government officials and policy makers in the U.S. and internationally.”
In this case the official retired but is enjoying the same treatment as most former government officials. Former government officials are valuable commodities for corporations. They come with a lot of contacts and influence. For a corporation wanting to manipulated the regulatory environment to favor itself at the expense of its competition people with political contacts and influence are very desirable.
This is why elections are meaningless. When a politician is ousted they merely move to the private sector to rake in even more cash. And when their replacement sees what benefits await them if they play the same game as their predecessor any prices they made during their campaign fly out the window.
Go ahead and vote out bad politicians and demand elected officials fire bad appointed government stooges. You’re only setting up the stage for them to get a big payout and another person to set themselves up for a future payout.