And I was under the impression that the government was comprised of people!
Well people plus one robot, since Ahnold is the Terminator.
It really has to do with the concepts of economic rent, comparative advantage, and the amount of responsibility. Results of the capitalist system. The decisions a CEO makes involves much more money than say, the decisions of a cashier at The GAP.
Usually, the track to a cushy job involves paying a lot of dues. I have a friend that's working in finance, making around 90K/year, but his hours are ridiculous (8AM-8PM) plus weekends sometimes. One Saturday night, his boss called him from the office at 3AM in the morning (when we were at the bars) and told him to come in to work in a few hours. Basically, he's comforted by the fact that in ten years or so, he'll be living the good life. But in the meantime, it's hair loss and wrinkles.