DEMOCRATS HYSTERICAL OVER 'REVOLVING DOOR' — UNLESS IT'S THEIR OWN

The Santa Barbara Independent, ever vigilant in its pursuit of what it *thinks* are scandals, breathlessly reported this week that a former energy advisor is now, gasp, working for an energy company. Apparently, Senators Schiff, Padilla, and Rep. Carbajal are "seeking answers" because someone with expertise in an industry had the audacity to continue working in that industry after leaving government service. One might think these esteemed Democrats would be more concerned with, say, the actual cost of gas at the pump or the reliability of the power grid, but no, the true outrage is a former bureaucrat getting a job that pays well outside the public trough.

This is truly a groundbreaking development in Washington, D.C. — a place where career politicians are famously known for *not* having lucrative second acts, where lobbyists magically appear from the ether with no prior government connections, and where environmental regulations are never crafted by former green activists who then go on to consult for companies specializing in compliance. The sheer audacity of someone transitioning from advising on energy policy to actually *working* on energy policy must be, as the Independent implies, proof of some sinister plot, rather than, you know, a fairly common career trajectory.

Perhaps Schiff, Padilla, and Carbajal are merely projecting their own D.C. experiences onto others. After all, the revolving door is only 'corrupt' when someone on the *other side* walks through it, not when legions of their former staffers become high-paid lobbyists for the very industries they once 'regulated.' It's almost as if these progressives have forgotten that the economy isn't run by government diktat, but by actual companies, and sometimes, those companies hire people with relevant experience. Imagine that. The Whipping Post, for one, hopes this former advisor is handsomely compensated for their knowledge and, more importantly, helps get more American energy flowing.