Everything I've seen is that, even when VIPs will privately admit one VIP fucked up (which HAS happened), they still won't (or can't) admit it publicly.
Can you point to any time when a VIP fucked up (which we know happens, don't kid yourself) and the other VIPs came down on him? I'm sure some have gotten a warning or whatever privately, but that does nothing to change the perception. And the perception is the biggest problem.
I'm pretty sure you and I both have been banned by individual VIPs who jump the gun (or simply don't like us), only to be unbanned within a couple days. And it's usually the same VIPs who use that ban button (or even the threat of the ban button) as their own little tool to enforce their will in personal arguments.
Imagine, hypothetically, if a police officer told you that elephants were inherently artistic creatures capable of creating masterpieces without guidance from humans. And when you tell him that's utterly retarded, he threatens to arrest you if you ever argue with him again. Are you saying you wouldn't be annoyed by that?
Or hell, let's say you got in an argument with an off-duty cop at a bar (ie, the OT board). And because he didn't like what you had to say, he throws you in jail. Sure, you get out in a day or two, but you're still not too happy about it. Especially when the rest of the police force acts like nothing happened.
It's the same principle (albeit exaggerated for effect). Corruption and abuse of power shouldn't be tolerated, even when it's the minimal power of a VIP (by the way.. why can't we call them mods like every other forum.. do their heads need to be any bigger?)