Palin in the WSJ: How do politicians who arrive in Washington, D.C. as men and women of modest means leave as millionaires?

Peter Schweizer's new book, "Throw Them All Out" is the feedstock for Sarah's hard-hitting essay on bipartisan financial slimeballery.  (Schweizer  also advises her PAC on foreign policy.)  She invites Occupy portestors to cross party lines and join with Tea Partiers in addressing crony capitalism and waste.  "Politicians have occupied Wall Street".

How do politicians who arrive in Washington, D.C. as men and women of modest means leave as millionaires? How do they miraculously accumulate wealth at a rate faster than the rest of us? How do politicians' stock portfolios outperform even the best hedge-fund managers'? .... Politicians derive power from the authority of their office and their access to our tax dollars, and they use that power to enrich and shield themselves. 

Mark Twain is quoted approvingly "There is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress."

Related: Wall Street firms have already earned more under Obama ....  Huffington Post.
Related: Some members of congress have bizarre jumps in net worth if they belong to the ruling party.
Related: Smug and corrupt elites: Nancy Pelosi is today's special feature
Related: Palin bridges the political divide  (NYT)