The Driving Force Behind America's Warp Speed Decline into an Unequal Society

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
I have a question.
More than 50% of employees work for small businesses. That is companies with less than 500 employees.
Add to that government jobs (state and federal). These employers don't usually have multimillion dollar ceo's. That leaves a small amount of corporate jobs.
So my question is,
How does a CEO salary effect the pay of people that don't work for the big corporations?
I make about twice as much as my employees do. Is that to much?

The average CEO in the U.S. makes $178,400. Not that impressive eh? But if you cherry pick only CEO's of the top 200 companies then their pay average jumps to $10 million. But it's only 200 people. How many different actors earned over 10 million last year? How many professional sports players earned over 10 million? I bet way more than 200. Yet everyone seems to think CEO's are greedily stealing the wages of the average working man. It's just not true.

www.aei.org...

a reply to: FyreByrd

I have always found it dumbfounding that though many people of a mindset they themselves consider to be conservative, rail about Hollywood and how 'stars' use their popularity to promote progressive' propaganda, turn around and end up putting a blathering pre-alzhymic soap peddler on the national throne and call him savior.

At first, Reagan came across as a moderate. Heck, hadn't he been the president of the Actors Union in earlier days? True he had named names during the "Tailgunner Joe" hearings but that was best left forgotten. He projected the trusted image of a wise uncle to consumers and this was what his handlers relied on to get him in office. Between the 'pare down consumption' oriented vision of Carter and the mean and evil image of Nixon, he seemed a fine down home kinda cowboy many would like in office.

Leaving aside the skullduggery of the Iranian hostage October Surprise, once in office the dismantling of controls on Big Business under the guise of "Stop Big Government Over-reach" began. There were 'progressives' at that time who predicted our present dilemma and the rise of Corporate 'personhood', but they were easily kicked to the curb by many liberals who figured that "trickly down" would work.

In contrast to Obama, I would say that most people of a progressive stance had removed their support of his presidency within only a few months, while those of a more lazy liberal mindset managed to continue support up to and into his second term. Even these now are jumping from the boat. Those moderate conservative, who voted for his promises in response to the be-devilment s of GWB also could see that his promises were chimera and quickly withdrew support.

Would that followers of a conservative path be as ready to cast of the illusions set in motion by the controllers of Mr. Reagan rather than continuing to hold him up as such a strong leader and statesman. Of all the answers that come to mind as to why they do not, the one that stands out as paramount to me is that they continue to be under sway to that corporate lie that it is Big Government that is the villian, while Big Business continues on it's merry way to Big Corporate, International Corporate and total world control.

originally posted by: jjkenobi
The average CEO in the U.S. makes $178,400. Not that impressive eh? But if you cherry pick only CEO's of the top 200 companies then their pay average jumps to $10 million. But it's only 200 people. How many different actors earned over 10 million last year? How many professional sports players earned over 10 million? I bet way more than 200. Yet everyone seems to think CEO's are greedily stealing the wages of the average working man. It's just not true.

www.aei.org...

I hear this a lot, but its not valid. Look at the wage disparity between people whom "work in Hollywood" versus the big actors overall pay. On average people whom "work in Hollywood" are paid significantly higher per hour than the average office drone. The people whom make movies also have Union representation to boot. Also George Clooney has the same Union representation and collective bargaining power of the "joe nobody" who just did a Kraft singles commercial. I'm not saying work in Hollywood behind the camera is easy, but at least they have access to "due process" if they get ripped off by their employer, Office drones certainly can't say the same.

On a side note, pro sports is exploitative of their "other employees" not in the front office or on the field. I hate those executives and owners just as much, as corporate America. They use my tax money to build facilities, underpay stadium workers, prevent the minor league players from having Union representation and jack up my cable bill with channel packages that have mandatory sports stations. I have NO love for pro sports in America, but I certainly do not throw "Hollywood" in the same boat, they seem to at least try and take care of support staff.

I will say this: the top athletes make millions of dollars every year. Do you really think the top businessmen
are not going to make the big bucks, too?

originally posted by: Parthin
I will say this: the top athletes make millions of dollars every year. Do you really think the top businessmen
are not going to make the big bucks, too?

I've heard this argument as well, are pro-athletes responsible for team staff well being and local economic development? NOPE

Top business people in USA have the same responsibility as the Feudal lords of old, whether they believe it or not. What that means is they must look after the lands and people in their care. If they actively choose not to, they should face pitchforks, just as those old Feudal Lords did from time to time.

Also please don't start with "we don't have a feudal system in America" because we do (and Fascist as well).

The Age of Neo-feudalism: A Government of the Rich, by the Rich and for the Corporations

America: Home of the Bewildered Serf and Land of the Feudal Lords

Inequality is being exacerbated by several things. The first is technology is making some jobs obsolete and other jobs more productive. The second is that globalization has increased competition. The third is that due to the increasingly complex world we live, education is becoming more valuable while the least educated are finding there aren't many options to earn a living. Fourth, those at the top whether you are in Hollywood or a F500 CEO are dealing with much bigger empires that result in much larger incomes for those who run them.

People see CEOS making $50 million a year but ignore that they are running multi-billion dollar global organizations that are responsible for tens or hundreds of thousands employees. Yes, some are paid absurd amounts, but these are PRIVATE decisions made by the shareholders and boards of directors. Athletes and Hollywood sees the same wage inflation at the top because now stars are global so their incomes reflect the higher amounts of revenue being brought in by their star power. Comparing what a CEO did 50-60 years ago to what one does not is just ignorant.

What liberals don't understand is that there isn't a fixed pie which means that if my slice gets bigger yours gets smaller. Capitalism causes the pie to grow. Yes, Bill Gates has an absurd amount of money, but he created a business/product that has spawned thousands of other companies employing millions of people. He created thousands of millionaires. Do you think they care he is worth $60 billion while they are only worth say $5 million by sheer luck of being an early employee? Do you think the professionals making six figures at Microsoft care?

This inequality debate is about people hating the fact that others have more than they do. Nothing more. Life is not fair and never will be fair. Someone will ALWAYS have more than someone else. The beauty of a capitalist system is that you don't have to stay poor. Class mobility is allowed. Many rich people wind up broke and many broke people wind up rich.

While i don't espouse either of our two political parties' ideologies and am in fact a non-voting protest vote for the last 34 years, it is interesting to note that the article cited here covers a financial strategy devised (invented) and incorporated by one of the last U.S. Presidential candidates while he made/plundered millions in the private equity business. Sanctimonious and smug, Mormon Mitt Romney helped destroy tens of thousands of U.S. jobs and single handedly created one of the largest debt bubbles on record while at Bain Capital, using U.S. tax law to finance huge profits or write off even bigger losses in companies he raided.

Mitt's strategy was so successful that many companies like Carlysle & Co. and others adopted identical blood sucking manuevers to bankrupt America's infrastructure during the roaring 90's. Wall Street on the left, Wall Street on the right... no scruples, no mercy, driven by simple avarice and greed. Is it any wonder I refuse to choose?