Smithsonian and What's Wrong?

This is a very vivid and concrete example of what's wrong in our country. Those who are highly paid, presumably for having great expertise, really have no expertise other than how to line their own pockets.

A co-worker recently told me she was going to visit Washington, D.C. I said I really like it there, especially all the free museums of the Smithsonian. "Oh, they charge admission." What? Well, that's the way things have been going -- but I decided to look it up (and surprise, just today, a new article about the institution)...

Article 1 (link): From 2006, there is a discussion of charging admission, because "the complex is crumbling because there is not enough money for critical repairs." However, in the founding charter of some portions of the Smithsonian, it is explicitly stated that the institution will be supported by taxpayer funds.

Article 2 (link) : Institution considering cutting exorbitant salaries of executives -- one who resigned was also using institution funds to repair his home swimming pool.

Now, presumably, these people are getting paid very large amounts of money because they have incredible management expertise, right? So the institution shouldn't have fallen into disrepair if that were the case. Instead, they vote themselves larger and larger salaries, abuse the funds, and ask the public for more money to repair facilities they have mismanaged. This is the kind of work you can only get if you have friends in high places.

And resignation is too easy for these people -- this is a crime against the taxpayers, and against the institution they were entrusted to maintain. Certainly worthy of prison time.