Are you aware that the average CEO makes in 10 minutes what the average hard working American makes in a year?

Question

Eating donuts in the breakroom he makes your annual salary plus half. Gas prices and the cost of living is increasing for the middle/lower class (the foreclosure crisis) and we're trillions of dollars in debt due to the Iraq war.

Is anyone else angry about what's happening? America's being sold out by big business and special interests. If we continue going down the path of King George or Giuliani we will be bankrupt slaves working 15 hours a day to barely get by.

The gap has widened beyond reason under Bush and his tax cuts. Though I don't support Hillary for president, (I prefer Edwards or Obama) Under Clinton the average American had more worth in his pocket then we do now. Inflation and the cost of oil are two problems of the Bush admin. which has given him record lows in the polls.

I'm not jealous, I'm just saying some facts. Such as life is getting harder for US to the corporate elites selling us out. We're losing the value of our money to the point that we'll all be in poverty if this continues.

Answer 1

Of course I am aware but most Americans? Hardly. They buy the lie of the "free" market that is holy as long as it's about helping the poor or the issue of the obscenely high salaries of the elite are brought up but that at the same time is compatible with cooperate welfare to help those that have a lot to even get more.
http://www.progress.org/banneker/cw.html

Lots of Americans are already working several jobs and still hardly making enough to make a decent living. That's outrageous and morally repulsive. Anyone who works hard every day should have more than food alone, otherwise you are no better of than a slave. The case can even be made slaves had it better than that. They had food, health care and shelter. If you have to worry where your or your children's next meal will come from you are not free!

Great question, couldn't agree more

Answer 2

it is probably true that most of them work harder than the average american. Whether or not they derserve to make 400 to 700 or even more times what the average worker makes is highly debatable. SInce the 1980's executive pay has skyrocketed while average pay has hardly budged. There are numerous reasons for this, compensation cosultants are paid by the companies and hired by top management, most board members are executives of other companies, inappropraite benchmarking, backdating stock options, restcted stock etc. etc. In general would say that their pay is way out of whack at this point, a lot of them get increases and bonuses regardless of performance, get big payoffs for doing mergers I could go on and on. They don't always work smarter as some people have said. I could go into a lot more detail on this, I worked in HR and Corporate compensation. The woman who wrote the article in the link is an expert on this you should check out her columns on the topic. PS conservatives should take note of brothers point -- if more and more wealth gets concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer people the danger of real socialism grows proportionately. A vibrant middle class with true opportunity to have a decent standard of living is what has made this country great. The middle class has been getting squeezed here in the US. I am not saying most people don't have it pretty good here, but the current trend is not good.

Answer 3

I believe it is in Great Britain where they have a cap on what a CEO can make. Maybe a thousand times more then the lowest payed.

I think that is very reasonable. Yet there are tons of wage earners in the USA who will fight tooth and nail for the CEO's right to get paid whatever the market bares. That is like shooting themselves in the head. If a CEO wants to make more, then he must raise all wages accordingly.

No golden parachutes when dumped either.

What is good for the people and the poor is good for the country as a whole and is a direct measurement of our commitment to end human suffering and uncontrolled capitalism which brings income disparity to such a degree, that the distance between the have and the have-nots is increasing. Which eventually, if it keeps going unchecked, will result in revolution. What will end up in its place is anyones guess.

Think Russia and Lenin
France and the guillotine
China and Mao
Cuba and Castro
All the result of uncontrolled capitalism.

I'm all for capitalism for unneeded services, and for socialism for needed services. We have socialism in our needed services now, what we lack is socialism in health care, except to the military and those that represent us in our federal legislative branches. The rest of us have to put up with the BS.

Peace

Jim

.

Answer 4

Good point, most companies in corporate America, are top heavy, which means to many Chiefs not enof Indians ?
And as you mentioned, upper managements are paid much more than the employees who actually do the job.

Now think about this, wouldn't that be one of the important reasons that increase cost? I believe instead of sending our jobs abroad, we should investigate the impacts of the immoderately high pay overheads, in final cost of the product, or services a company offers.

Best Regards.

Answer 5

You're right and yes I am angry. Mad as **** if you want to know the truth. Our forefathers would be rolling over in their graves if they knew American government sold us out to COMMUNISTS NO LESS.
The WTO can kiss my hard working behind because I intend to boycott every and anything made outside the US. I suggest that everyone do the same. John Edwards I think is the only one running that truly understands how disgraceful the NAFTA trade agreement was/is. Those free trade agreements need to be repealed and our jobs brought back to America where they were created and where they are needed.

Answer 6

I need a business partner so I can make as much as the ceo's are making. I lack the funds to start but i have unlimited ideas. So if you wish to join me, we can both get out of the race of feeling left behind with chicken change as yearly salaries. Feel free to contact me...all we need to start is $5000 dollars.

Answer 7

40 years ago, people criticized the CEO of GM making $8 million a year in today's money ( he was making under $2 million a year). But at least he was creating jobs.

Nowdays, there are several thousand CEO's making that money, many DESTROYING US jobs for profit. it's an abomination. There's no " free market" determining that compensation.

Answer 8

The fact that they make a great deal of money certainy isn't the fault of Bush, or Giuliani, anyone that believes that, really needs to take a good hard look at things.

The forecloser crisis, began several years ago, when everyone thought the economy was fantastic, when in fact it was on it's way down. Because of the higher taxes we were paying, people were out over extending themselves and not able to make the payments... therefore they were borrowing against thier homes, in order to keep afloat... One or two missed payments they were back now getting an ARM... thinking things would be fine, well the payments doubled or tripled, and they lost thier home.

We should all know by now, when there is a Liberal in office, the taxes are going to be higher, therefore, less money in your pocket every week... That's the time you tighten the purse strings, don't over extend yourself, and wait for a Republican to bring things back to where they need to be for us to be able to afford the new cars and homes... People need to be more aware of what happens... less money in, means less money out... It's really that simple. The oil prices don't have anything to do with the middle east, much to the dismay of most people... It's a commodity sold in the market. Hugo Chavez, making claims that he will halt oil to our country will really do nothing to the price of oil... perhaps a couple cents either way, but he's really blowing smoke. and in this case... where there's smoke there is no fire. Call his bluff, and see what his country thinks about him and his ignorance!

Answer 9

That is no surprise. Athletes make multi millions annually for playing the same games school kids play during recess.

Answer 10

How many family's to YOU support?

How many dollars inTAXES do YOU pay?

How much do YOU add to the GNP each year?

This is a jealousy and GREED rant by someone that isn't interested in earning money, they just want to steal it.

In America, you can earn as much as you are able.

He's able.

YOU aren't.

Not his problem (or mine).