interesting "openl letter" to Hillary (not mine)

[question everything]

An open letter to Hillary Clinton: Please, Madam, ask Sen. Sanders why he thinks your speaking fees are excessive. He is aghast that you received $200,000 from Goldman Sachs. That is exactly what other retired Cabinet members received. Some former government officials (for example, Ben Bernanke) were paid a lot more. Why should you be paid less? Few women have the gall to demand that they get paid like their male counterparts. You are an example to us all.

Sanders pushes this charge of excessive fees to claim you cannot be trusted to reign in the big banks. Nonsense. Standing your ground and demanding equal pay shows that you are not likely to be cowed by the big boys.

Billie Reaney, St. Louis Park

http://www.startribune.com/readers-write-jan-29-gun-violence-presidential-race/366924401/

[VulgarPoet]

1. Sounds nigh-Swiftian in satirical content.

"A Modest Proposal" for a cannibalistic politician.

[JudyM]

2. Because "everybody does it" is grounds for questionable practices.

Public trust deserves more than a pattern of conflicts of interest.

[Ino]

3. About Bernanke's speaking fees...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johntamny/2014/05/25/ben-bernankes-post-fed-speaking-fees-send-a-scary-economic-message/2/#4246f1d75b6c

The list of Bernanke errors and obtuse utterings is long, this piece hasn’t scratched the surface, but the point here is that no investor or hedge fund manager of sound mind would pay enormous sums to learn about Bernanke’s thoughts on the economy. This wouldn’t happen simply because the former Fed head has long been bereft of insight into the economy.

So what drives Bernanke’s high speaking fees? This is the chilling part, though most readers probably knew this in advance. Bernanke is very much in demand not because he’s insightful, but because the Fed is all-too powerful, and he used to be Chairman of this powerful entity. If it’s not already obvious, the source of Bernanke’s new wealth is rather troublesome simply because it’s not rooted in talent; rather it’s a function of his pull, his ability to get presumably anyone with decision-making authority at the Fed on the phone.

Bernanke is selling access to investors interested to know how the Fed will distort the normal functioning of the markets. The Fed’s actions move markets, so it’s advantageous for investors to know what’s next.

So, the question is... what is Hillary selling with those high fees? She's undeniably powerful and connected. She was expected to run for President... what benefit would that offer her "investors"?

It's ridiculous to frame this as an equal pay issue.