>>an absolute cap on how much they can make That's a good start, but then the revolving door with the private sector, as in "retired" generals getting a fuckall desk job at ratheon or boeing or whatever as a kick back for their "wise choices" while in service, must be addressed too And I take the generals as an example, it's pretty much the same deal for every "public servant", some go to goldman sach for instance, same principle https://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/06/05/DOD-Retirees-From-4-star-General-to-7-Figure-Income DOD Retirees: From 4-Star General to 7-Figure Income Last week, retired four-star Army General David Petraeus announced he was joining the New York-based investment firm KKR & Co. to run the firm’s new Global Institute, a group dedicated to studying how government policies impact investments. ... The revolving door between DOD and private industry did not always exist. According to a 2010 Boston Globe investigation, only **50 percent of three-and-four star generals who retired from 1994 to 1998 took positions at defense companies.** But as DOD spending grew during the war on terrorism, so did the percentage of retired generals entering the private sector after their military careers. **Between 2004 and 2008, 80 percent of generals at these ranks joined a defense company after leaving the military.** These positions are substantially more lucrative than current pay levels for generals - $164,221 per year for a three-star general and $179,700 for a four-star general. Private companies do not have to disclose salaries, but executives at defense contractors often make hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. And former Pentagon officials are not just joining companies as full-time employees. Many join as part-time consultants or board members, drawing enormous fees for a few annual appearances at company events. This relationship then allows the company to trade off a well-known name. For instance, according to the CREW report, **Gen. James Cartwright retired from the Marine Corp in 2011 and was elected to the Raytheon Co. board of directors soon after, a post that paid an $85,000 annual retainer. He received a $1,500 speaker fee for each appearance, even if he spoke via teleconference, as well as $120,000 in stock options.** **That same year, Raytheon was paid $14 billion by the Pentagon. Cartwright is also a member of TASC’s board and is on the advisory board of Accenture Federal Services.** ... **TYPICAL**