I had thought that my best career option was to be a politician. I could rip off the taxpayer at will. I could enjoy premium public health care. I could have a life-time pension at taxpayer expense. I could lie to my constituency to whatever extent it took to stay in office. My corporate sponsors would lavish me with all sorts of bribes. As long a my fellow politicos were as corrupt as me, or at least could be blackmailed, I could continue with my ill-gotten gains. Getting me usually requires a lot of taxpayer money to pay for investigations, prosecutions, etc. Even going to jail wasn’t so bad. I could usually keep my pension, my health care, my deals. Book deals, talk shows, speaking engagements, and corporate jobs are pretty much guaranteed. If I go to rehab, I am forgiven. If I come to Jesus, I am exalted.
But I was wrong. I was a prostitute. I sold my soul to others. I was owned. I should have been a CEO. Being a CEO is way better than being a politician. Being a CEO is way better than being a drug lord or other crime chief. Being a CEO is way better than being a coup leader. It pays better and whatever you do is ‘legal’. And the life expectancy is better!
As a CEO, I can own politicians that pass the laws that I want. As a CEO, I can hire the lobbyists to write the laws for the politicians to pass. As a CEO, I can use the company’s assets as my checkbook. My fellow CEO’s, their executive board minions, and I, sit on each other’s boards and, especially, Compensation Committees. That way we can steal from our companies and the shareholders. We can control the votes so that, even if our company and it’s stock go to zero, we still make a killing. We no longer skim off the top. We take it all.
There is an old archaic responsibility called fiduciary. That meant we were supposed to take care of the shareholders trust. We were supposed to keep the company on a strong, competitive footing. The laws on the books, in theory, still require us to be responsible. We don’t care. We want your last dime.
