And now, a perk of government “service” that hadn’t previously occurred to us — being immortalized in oils. “Multiple agencies have quietly commissioned artists to paint official portraits of Cabinet secretaries and other top appointees,” reports The Washington Times. After combing through scads of records, the paper concludes the government has forked over at least $180,000 for this purpose since last year. The Environmental Protection Agency appears especially fond of these portraits. Current administrator Lisa [...] The Spoils… and Oils… of Power appeared in the Daily Reckoning . Subscribe to The Daily Reckoning by visiting signup for an Agora Financial newsletter .