Maybe I’m ignorant, but what’s going on? Not everyone is a highly paid bureaucrat in the Washington DC area. Not everyone even works for the government. Are there that many lobbyists and attorneys who do government related work, and get the big bucks for doing so?
Across the street from the Pentagon is a street filled with high rise office buildings. They are almost all associated with defense contractors.
Lobbyists, lawyers, “consultants” for DOD & others, and outsourced technology support outfits.
Times must have changed. I grew up in Arlington when my dad was an Army officer posted at the Pentagon. Arlington was a great place to grow up but I sure don’t remember anyone being rich. Maybe the Kennedys but they lived in that big house in DC.
In sum. YES. People often wear two hats as well. A perfect example - do a little research on Jonathan Gruber, the infamous guy who helped write many of the rules for Obamacare, who also acted as a consultant, and who called Americans "stupid." Now multiply that by every-single US business and industry, because Fed.gov writes intricate rules for ALL of them.