Posted 6:24 AM by steve

Here are the two biggest reasons why NOTHING will ever change as far as former Congressmen and Administration officials cashing in their seats and positions for lucrative lobbying and 'consulting' assignments...

* The money is sooooo good. Imagine a business, industry or some other organization that finds itself on the losing end of a law or regulation; the negative impact could easily run into the billions of dollars. Given the high stakes, it is well worth the money to pay six figures to the likes of Tom Daschle or Leon Panetta.

* They're not qualified to do anything else. With very few exceptions, Members of Congress haven't done anything in their life but run for political office. What kind of a real job is there for someone who has never previously had a real job? They have no skills that translate to success (i.e., a job that pays decent money) in the private sector. They haven't managed a budget, they haven't learned to build anything, they haven't learned to allocate scarce resources among competing demands. Heck, they haven't even learned to work well with colleagues.

The one thing they're not is stupid. And they know that lobbying represents the one real opportunity they have to maintain (or increase) their standard of living once they leave Congress, as they know employers are not lining up to hire them because of their experience designing circuit boards, handling product design or logistics or any of the other skill sets employers look for (and for those who have been hired (i.e., Cheny at Halliburton), please don't deceive yourself by thinking your employer wanted you for any reason other than your Washington connections).

The public can b***h all they want, but Congress is never going to change the rules in a way that really threatens their post-Congressional chances of making money. Why would they?