If you ban officials from trading individual stocks, a lot of qualified people just won't take the job. They'd have to sell off everything or put it in a blind trust, and that's a big hassle. I get the concern, but it feels like overkill.

The practical problem is you'd scare off capable people who don't want the hassle of blind trusts or forced selling. You're right that officials have rights, and I can't really argue against that. It just feels like a ban punishes everyone for a few bad apples.

You make a fair point that officials deserve to improve their lives, and I am not sure how to argue with that. But a full ban still feels too broad, like treating everyone as crooked. I would rather see disclosure rules than block ordinary investing.