I'll bite. What's in it for them ("They are the authority")? Weathering the weather until the next election? I'm prone to assuming that people higher on the totem pole are smarter, more experienced, more nuanced, better educated, that's on me.
I don't follow the question. What do you mean what's in it for them? They simply disagree with you and they get to make that decision.
I don't follow the question. What do you mean what's in it for them? They simply disagree with you and they get to make that decision.