You would think that the noise surrounding the supposed “revolving door” problem would die down given (a) the lack of evidence to support it, and (b) the growing research refuting it, but it never really seems to subside. The latest proposals against this so-called scourge involve half-million dollar annual salaries for government workers and lifetime bans on former regulators.
via Revolving Door: Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself – Compliance Week
There used to be a saying at an investment bank who’s no longer in biz, “if you can’t beat them, buy them” which meant hire them away. The tougher they were on you the more incentivized you were to make them a better offer.
I agree with you there is no proof that SEC lawyers who are “too nice” are too nice because they want a quid pro quo down the road. That being said, it’s too bad the super stars can’t be paid $500K a year and the non performers can’t be put out the door or demoted to do menial tasks like making copies, fetching lunch, running stuff down to the courthouse.