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user-inactivated  ·  2548 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Barack Obama's $400,000 speaking fees reveal what few want to admit

    I suspect this is common in any industry.

Sure. The more specialized the industry, the smaller the talent pool, the more likely you're going to see these kinds of things happening. I think the question comes though, where do we draw the line? Cronyism is a real issue, with real world happenings, and real consequences. That's part of the reason we as a country value concepts such as free speech and transparency as tools to help fight corruption and also why we have laws against things such as political gifts, bribes, and kickbacks to begin with. I think a good rule of thumb is, the more power or influence a person has, the higher the standards we should hold them to. With that in mind, people criticizing Obama for $400,000 speaking fees sounds more than reasonable. I'm not saying he's right. I'm not saying he's wrong. I am saying that the fact that the issue is catching people's attention does seem appropriate.