the US's golden age
soulsinging
Posts: 13,202
i get the feeling a lot of conservatives wish the country was still like it was in the 50s... nice suburbs, no sex on tv, nice "moral" values, a national hatred and fear of all things socialist (despite the fact that even then we were already socialist), nice communities with personal connections and small businesses. but i came across this interesting stat this morning:
"In 1965, the average US corporate executive earned 24 times what the average worker did. By 2007, the CEO advantage had spiraled up to 275 times."
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1022/p08s01-comv.html
Yet they fight so hard to defend the very people who have destroyed the way of life that made us the most powerful and welathiest country in the world in the 50's. the very people that destroyed the middle class and small businesses through constant consolidation, expansion, and upward wealth distribution that has divided us into a nation of princes and paupers.
the backbone of the relative wealth and standard of living we enjoyed 50 years ago was that wealth was spread amongst the population. those at the top enjoyed a lot of perks, but everyone shared in the good times. not so anymore. trickle down does not work. if you want a strong, stable society, you need to make sure everyone shares in the rewards, not just those on top.
"In 1965, the average US corporate executive earned 24 times what the average worker did. By 2007, the CEO advantage had spiraled up to 275 times."
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1022/p08s01-comv.html
Yet they fight so hard to defend the very people who have destroyed the way of life that made us the most powerful and welathiest country in the world in the 50's. the very people that destroyed the middle class and small businesses through constant consolidation, expansion, and upward wealth distribution that has divided us into a nation of princes and paupers.
the backbone of the relative wealth and standard of living we enjoyed 50 years ago was that wealth was spread amongst the population. those at the top enjoyed a lot of perks, but everyone shared in the good times. not so anymore. trickle down does not work. if you want a strong, stable society, you need to make sure everyone shares in the rewards, not just those on top.
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I will not allow the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify my precious bodily fluids!!
i think i posted a link to that scene on here one time
To put it in real perspective, what do you think the ratio of the average US worker's pay to the average rest of the world's pay? I don't have figures, but I'd say it may be close to what we see between the US CEO and the average US worker.
In other words, greed is a lot more rampant than just at the top. I'm as guilty as the next person.
Also, we should look at things from the perspective of the collective world of humans and not just on the basis of nationality.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
true, but i'm not sure bringing the US worker down to the levels of international workers is the solution. i imagine the gap between foreign workers and the ceo's of the companies they work for pennies for is even more staggering. dragging ourselves down does nothing to solve the problem of greed and wealth imbalance at the top. at a certain point, it will topple regardless. prior to labor laws and the great depression, people in the us worked for the equivalent of those current foreign wages... long hours, little pay, and no safety protection. we built prosperity by curbing that and spreading the wealth around. if we're going to spread wealth around the world, it needs to come from the top, not the average us worker.
and this:
is simply a disgusting, yet unsurprsing, statistic. and i don't think enough in power think like this, and even amongst the greater conservative population, they don't realize this. too many get hung up on the labels of 'socialism' rather than simply seeing the bigger picture.
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
If we assume the average worker is paid $30k per year, that would mean the AVERAGE corporate executive (which is it, corporate executive which can mean the top tier of managers and board - or CEO?) gets paid $8.25 MM per year.
I only know of a handful of CEOs that get paid that much. As far as corporate execs, I don't think many approach 7 figures.
I prefer to think the "golden age" of the US was when there was no federal bank or currency, their was an honest "free market" or as close as possible, there was no income tax, war was seen as a ghastly last option, and it was possible to make an honest living by buying a chunk of land and growing your own food and selling whatever was left over for supplies.
i doubt the 'average worker' makes $30k, especially with unemployment so high
i wonder if that firgure is based on the CEO's pay or if it factors in their bonuses, stock options and other rewards they get?
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
I have worked for a big corporation and worked closely with the guys on the executive management team, believe me, they weren't making anywhere close to 7 figures. Very comfortable, yes. Rich, maybe. Millionaires, hardly.
If we are talking about ALL corporations, I would bet the average CEO makes $150k - $200k.
Fortune 500 CEOs, probably $1 to $2MM per year.
Either way, the disparity between the rich and the poor is disgusting.
thanks for posting that! insane how much some of them got paid although, it was interesting to see the CEO of Whole Foods was only compensated $33,831 last year
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
yowsa, I stand corrected. 275x the average worker's salary seems about right.
If you limit it to S&P500 CEOs the average compensation is >$10MM!!!
CEOs of companies that received TARP: $3.36MM on average
maybe it is worth it... you do have to sell your soul to be a CEO. :evil:
that kinda money, they should all be curing the world of disease, creating world peace and feeding all the world's citizens... :evil:
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
Where do you think all that $ that is used for disease research, etc comes from?
the bulk of it comes from our tax dollars, collectively, around the globe...given that governments, by far, fund the most research thru grants.
tho even if your hypothesis were correct, where did it crom from BEFORE these CEOs earned 275x more than the average worker? it always comes from somewhere...
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
while i'm not saying corporations never do anything positive with their influence and money.... come on! do ya think they spend more on disease research, etc or advertising and lobbying?
what are you but my reflection? who am i to judge or strike you down?
"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank." - Barack Obama
when you told me 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'
i was thinkin 'death before dishonor'
of course they do positive things, as do individual CEOs as private citizens. i do not think any of us, or many of us anyway
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
I wonder if I'm a corporation? :?
Depends on your nationality. I am a human being born in America, so I am an individual with full Constitutional rights. However, as an American, the "Straw Man" invented for me is legally a corporation: It consists of my name printed in all capital letters. It began when my birth certificate was issued, and continued when social security cards became law a dozen years later. Now every time I receive a document issued from a government agency, it is intended for that legal corporation which is just a name. It is not meant for me, a woman with body and mind.
Huge difference.