Policrook

Leave Office with More
Wealth Than a Dictator — Legally.

The lesson for you, the voter, is this: what you’re seeing isn’t bonafide public service but a masterclass in extraction. Welcome to the scheme that treacherously wraps avarice in the shroud of respectability—the golden parachute, where departing politicians craftily shove their hands into taxpayer pockets while walking away with fortunes larger than that of some dictators. This isn’t just a tale of one corrupt politician; it’s a montage of miscreants who exit stage left while leaving a cocktail of taxpayer indignation and bewilderment swirling behind them.

Let’s dissect the nefarious art form masquerading as “negotiating your exit.” This plays out far too often in the darkened back rooms of power, where our public servants don’t bid adieu, they orchestrate an elaborate heist. The first act? The Exit Strategy—a crafted exit that’s less about integrity and more about skimming the cream off the top. Picture this: your favorite beleaguered politician—having taken a meat cleaver to social programs only days before—now plays the feigned humility card, slickly transferring their sullied influence into cushy board seats. They’re not walking away; they’re leaping into a cushy new gig where they’ll smile for the cameras while aiding and abetting the same corporations they pretended to regulate. It’s cash for conscience, and they don’t even need to break a sweat doing it. And the narrative? “I’m just trying to help!” they say. But you can bet it’s a farce, a misdirection to distract you from their financial gain.

The next act is a stroke of brilliance by the devious minds of politics. They ensure a lifetime subscription to the good life—security, healthcare, and influence that lasts far beyond their terms in office. Picture them with taxpayer-funded muscle at their beck and call, whispering their past title as they traverse society, insulated from the strife that ordinary citizens endure. It’s a dizzying spectacle of privilege where they masquerade as trust-fund babies—entitled to perks carved out of the very system they pledged to reform. Are they really focused on family? No. They’re more likely to be repositioning their offshore assets, cruising on yachts, and laughing in the face of the very democracy they’ve flayed open.

And then come the grand performances—the masterful announcement of "retirement" presented with misty eyes and great poise. They’ll pull at your heartstrings and tout how they’re retreating to life’s sacred moments, while you should know the truth: they’re closing the door on their political escapades to truly focus on their wealth, not their families. It’s a PR ploy that rivals the best Broadway performances, all staged to maintain an illusion of goodness while the rest of us nod, obliviously, as they slip through the cracks of accountability.

Let’s have some fun with the numbers. While you’re battling to put food on the table or scraping together pennies for healthcare, they’re pocketing two-hundred-fifty-thousand-dollar “speeches” about integrity—mendaciously preaching to the choir they’ve been dancing with this whole time. It’s a twisted ballet of greed caught between the banners of democracy and free enterprise, where your applause fuels their illegitimacy.

Now, it’s time to consider the real tragedy of this disgraced circus—this is not just a collection of unscrupulous actors but a pervasive epidemic, infecting the institutions that were once meant to uphold justice and equity. It’s a con game where every charade garners a standing ovation from an unsuspecting public too distracted to realize they’re just players in this grotesque spectacle.

Wake up, because the performance isn’t over. The curtain won’t drop until we, the audience, demand a rewrite of this predetermined script. The actors may change, but the play will stay the same unless we push back against the manipulation of institutions crafted to convince us our votes matter while they pilfer our rights and resources.

So here’s your wake-up call: the politicians you admire are perfecting the art of the golden parachute even as you thumb through their glossy brochures promising reform. Not every judge or prosecutor is corrupt, but make no mistake—the system is rigged; politicians will work feverishly to swap out honesty for compliance, to embed loyalty over integrity. If you don’t sharpen your critical lens, next time you’ll be left cheering for another round of dubious bytes in their smug theatrical performance, all while the reality is one glaringly evident truth: when it’s time for them to go, you might just be left empty-handed in the audience of their grand exit. Be vigilant. It’s your democracy—they can’t steal it unless you let them.