LJ, I see and accept what you are saying but these people do appear to get better results for their membership than we get from our own system. As such, their membership may see their salaries as a fair price to pay.
I fear that we do not get the representation we deserve. The AFPRB is toothless and the SC Commissioner reflects on her own limited powers and seeks the role of an empowered ombudsman. Our seniors stand divided, made to compete with each other and, occasionally, are self-serving.
For generations the military had fair representation at political level principally through the sheer number of politicians with prior military experience. We are perhaps the first military generation where this no longer holds true.