Comments on: Income Inequality and Its Consequences: Meteor Blades on Daily Kos

By: Joan Kelly

Joan Kelly — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:56:20 +0000

And – yes, David R, the manicurist has as much right to good education, affordable health insurance and fair wages as the highest paid surgeon in the world.

Everyone thinks MDs are Gods. Ex-cu-use me? They’re people – just like the rest of us. Subject to all the foibles of the rest of us.

By: Joan Kelly

Joan Kelly — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:33:15 +0000

Thank you, Lee!!! “As you sow…..”

“They” use the argument that if “they” aren’t paid obscene amounts of money, “they’ll” go elsewhere and companies will fail. Perhaps it would’ve been better if we hadn’t paid “them”? Who said: “No one is indispensable.”?

If the corporate entities that ruled would have used their intelligence, knowledge and integrity to show the average American how to balance a checkbook, invest, manage finances properly, etc. as part of the education system maybe we wouldn’t be in the shape we’re in. It was the millions of credit cards offered, the advertising blitzes on getting more for less, the constant urging to eat crappy food and buy a house you can’t afford that has this world in a tailspin. People are buried in debt and file bankruptcy so they can start over again. Generations are working for nothing and corporations are reaping billions of dollars that “they” invest in offshore accounts.

There’s a simple concept of all of us being One and working for the greater good that can stop this…? But as long as we’re in competition – it won’t work.

By: David R

David R — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:14:00 +0000

Joan K, thanks for the spell check. (Sorry about your tummy problems-will try do do better, but probably too late to change very much ,

By: Lee Ferrell

Lee Ferrell — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 07:28:10 +0000

This carefully orchestrated campaign to elevate corporate power has been going on for ages. Roberts court manipulated decision by 5-4 is part of the campaign to increase corporate power across the hole globe. Working Americans have seen their earning drop dramatically over 30 years. I and most I worked with have seen their purchasing power fall compared to inflation over a long time. This disparity has deepened in “undeveloped” nations. NAFTA and the whole political process since seems set up to create Mussolini’s ” Corporatism” in the US. The signs and the pain are everywhere. Sure, it is easy to setup disingenuous arguments to deny this reality. Intellectual integrity requires a wider view – making it easy to deny it. “On the ground” it is harder and harder for “the people” to survive. Religious based assumptions make it easy to adopt an absolutist pose & put your spirit in the sand and look away from what the Buddha called “The Law of Dharma.” Look it up if perhaps this is an unknown term.

By: David R

David R — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 23:05:57 +0000

That CEO pay is what is called a Take and I join with those who call it obscene.

The stock holders should have the vote on it; why not ? they ‘own’ the company.

That would not be necessarily equalizing pay but the stockholders estimate of worth.

But not many would go to the manicurist for surgery nor to a surgeon who advertized his fee as that of the manicurist. What ?!

By: Joan Kelly

Joan Kelly — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:19:12 +0000

I hate to say it – but – David R makes me want to vomit. (Does he think he’s a Christian? Wow!)

I could go on and on – but – look to Denmark. Civility is one of the points. Will we be civil to each other? Or, not? Reagan’s point was – if we reduce taxes on higher incomes, they will spend more money and it will “trickle down”, right? Well, guess what – it didn’t work, it has never worked and it will never work because of offshore accounts, greed, starting/maintaining wars…etc.

“…unto the least of these…” David R. The manicurist is no less in the eyes of God. She/He deserves as much care as the King, hmmm? (BTW, myriad.)

By: Andrew Bard Schmookler

Andrew Bard Schmookler — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:20:10 +0000

It is interesting to watch how you process these things, David R.

Your assumption seems to be that the inequalities are all about incentives to people to make more valuable contributions to society.

How about this: when you were a young man (in Eisenhower’s America), the ratio of corporate CEO’s pay to that of the average worker in his company was about 20:1 American businesses were among the best run in the world.

Fifty years later, that ratio had grown to more than 400:1. American companies had, by and large, lost a good deal of their dominance to those in other advanced industrial countries (in Europe and Asia). And in those other countries, the ratio was a whole lot closer to what ours had been decades ago.

I suppose, though, that this much increased inequality should be regarded as a socially-beneficial arrangement, with which no tampering is warranted, lest we lose the wonderful performances of the munificently paid. Wouldn’t want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, would we?

By: David R

David R — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:02:30 +0000

Been out to the Post Office and the Bank and while riding . . more ideas come to mind. Why not make the University President’s pay and benefits more equal to the untenured professor and surtax the tenured prof’s pay to subsidize the maintenance workers. Gosh . . there must be so many ways to make things more equal. Just think of all the dis-incentives possible.
What about equalizing the hemorroids experts’ remuneration with, say, the manicurist . . and the bell boys’ and the car parkers with the hotel administrator. Man ! Just think of the miriad opportunities to absolutely wreck the system of incentives . . just equalize the rewards.

I have come to realize that the modern liberals must be some of the most ingenious ‘thinkers’ on the planet.

By: David R

David R — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:21:29 +0000

The answer, or part if it, surely must be, for the U S, is to raise the income level for social security taxing, and apply social security taxation to investment income as well, such as Andy is involved in

and use that money toward a significant monthly check to the homeless, the unemployable and the wastrels.

In the name of income equality and better health for all and the nation as well . . I ask

Why Not ?!