Timothy Geithner, the former US Treasury secretary, may command higher speaking fees than most of his former colleagues – $200,000 on the last shot. But he is doing nothing out of the ordinary. Nor is he breaking any rules. Other former high officials, from Bill Clinton to Alan Greenspan, have charged more. Yet the fact that most people in Washington will shrug at Mr Geithner’s remuneration highlights how normal it is to profit from US public office – and within weeks of stepping down. Mr Geithner did not wait long after quitting to prognosticate with private equity groups about the future of US Federal Reserve monetary policy. If it merits their dime, it is worth having clearer guidelines about when – and from whom – former officials should accept fees to discuss policy.
前美国财长蒂姆•盖特纳(Timothy Geithner)的演讲出场费或许比他的大多数同事都高——最近一次的演讲让他进账20万美元。但他既无不同寻常之举，也没有违背任何规则。比尔•克林顿(Bill Clinton)和艾伦•格林斯潘(Alan Greenspan)等其他前任高官的收费更高。但华盛顿圈子的大多数人对盖特纳的报酬只是不屑一顾，这反映出利用美国政府部门任职经历在离任短短几周后“吸金”的做法已成常态。盖特纳卸任后没等多久，便在私人股本集团的面前预测美联储(Federal Reserve)货币政策的未来动向。如果说他们的这种生财之道是正当的话，那么就应当提出更加明确的规范，规定前政府官员可在何时向何人收取报酬，来对政策高谈阔论。