As a general policy, they are asked to retire from their professions and devote themselves to full time service. Nowdays, they are asked to resign from boards and professional organizations, however, some are asked to serve on church related boards, educational organizations etc. They are responsible for setting and carrying out church policy and manage the affairs of the LDS Church/corporations.
Some write books, some have other interests. Some are doctors, have been university presidents, owned companies, worked for banks, financial institutions, and on and on.Nearly all have served in church government as bishops, stake presidents, mission presidents, seventies, etc.
They spend most of their time debating the findings in the reports from their PR firm and deciding which stupid nonsense piece of advise to come out with next.
Like:
- no more than one earring per ear - get married early and have children right away (education and career will take care of themselves) - beware tattoos - gays are scary people trying to restrict TBMs religious freedom - the truth is not helpful - postum and hot chocolate are okay, coffee and tea are bad - let's drop the bloodthirsty stuff in the temple so people will feel more comfortable with the sh!t we're asking them to swallow
I'm sure there are literally hundreds of pieces of ridiculous advice that these guys have come up with and shared that I have failed to mention.
If they keep up much of a schedule it's probably fatiguing. For a 75 hr old man, traveling maybe twice a month means 3 days on the road, staying at hotels, being away from your creaturecomforts and family. Sure they probably have fancy hotels and all, but that's a lot. And standing up giving talks a couple times a month, standing around afterwards with annoyingly fawning fans, getting asked pesky questions, delivering a few blessings, marrying a few folks while wearing a white outfit. And taking up slack for the true geriatrics, and figuring out how to keep your fellow apostles in line.
Then there's the business matters -- are you going to let Burton and crew run the show? Or are you going to try to get your finger in the pie. The board meetings must be pretty dismal, sitting in some posh room in the temple, maybe wearing white (doubt it) and listening to Tommy or one of his staff run through hudsiness and trying to pretend like you know what's going on, or worry because you DO know what's going on.
Forgive me for nitpicking, but I assume you meant '75 year old man' and not '75 hour old man'? Although the thought of a three-day-old infant as a general authority amuses the hell out of me (and that baby would probably be a far better choice for the position than most of the real GAs), something tells me that child would be even less able to handle the stress of the job than an old man would.
An insider told me that the church office building is actually hollow and filled with tithing money converted into gold coins. I believe it was renovated long ago under the direction of Elder C. Scrooge McDuck in order to offer the GA's a recreational facility to swim in on breaks between counting the Lord's skrilla.
Sleep. Manipulate someone. Take a nap. Look at reports. Take another nap. Let the sheep kiss their feet. Take a nap. Tell others what to do. Take a nap. Think of what will be said at the next GC. Sleep.
Learning more and more on how this "well oiled" machine works I was curious as the order of preisthood is what is the order. I know a famous politician who is a seventy. I'm certain he doesn't get pd. through LDS. I do know priesthood begins @ a young age.
They bitch and moan about the eeeevils of socialism and rile against the heathens who suck on the teats of government.
While conveniently forgetting that their cushy and financially secure life styles are supported by the tithes of the members.
Not to mention that they expect social programs to pick up the slack when young Mormon couples take their idiotic advise and pop out kids they can't afford.
Have you seen the officers lists from all the "Reserve" corporations (Farmland Reserve, Hawaii Reserve, Intellectual Reserve...)?
Oh yes. They sit on LOTS of boards, especially the CORPORATION of the First President and the CORPORATION of the Presiding Bishop. Whether they actually attend the meetings, I don't know, but they're compensated nicely.
Read Michael Quinn's books. It's even easy to Google.
Don't feel sorry for all of the travel. They fly first class and are driven to the plane's "door fly" when in SLC, even if other passengers are kept waiting.