Matt Ortega

The second-in-command at the Department of Homeland Security Michael P. Jackson resigned from his position due to “personal financial reasons.”

In an e-mail to staff Monday, Jackson said, “The simple truth, however, is that after over five years of serving with the president’s team, I am compelled to depart for financial reasons that I can no longer ignore.”

Jackson, as deputy secretary, was earning $168,000 a year — nearly four times the national average of $44,473.

Earlier this year, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow resigned, citing financial reasons in a radio interview, also earning $168,000 a year at his post. Granted, Snow probably has astronomical healthcare costs related to his bout with colon cancer — a struggle that thousands of Americans wage daily, and likely with care lower in quality.

Prior to joining the DHS, Jackson was senior vice president of AECOM Technology Corporation so you can imagine his $168,00 salary working for the federal government was peanuts in comparison.