Income Inequality?

[Cow Poke]

Do you really think shepherds would leave a flock of 99 to scatter, unattended, to try to hunt down one lost sheep?

If there are shepherds (plural) they could take turns watching the flock, or hunting down the lost one.

[Littlejoe]

If I'm the CEO of a company I started, and I want to be able to fund another company that hires a lot of people, why punish me for my hard work, and my risking my own money to build a company?

Why would you be punished? Most don't do it that way. I know several CEO's who started their own companies, (and at least two others who did not start the company) They usually started other companies using the profits of the first company, but not the money from their salaries.

[Cow Poke]

Why would you be punished? Most don't do it that way. I know several CEO's who started their own companies, (and at least two others who did not start the company) They usually started other companies using the profits of the first company, but not the money from their salaries.

LJ, a lot of smaller companies - the "profits" ARE our salaries. MANY companies don't even make any profit for the first few years. If there's no profit, there's no salary.

[Littlejoe]

LJ, a lot of smaller companies - the "profits" ARE our salaries. MANY companies don't even make any profit for the first few years. If there's no profit, there's no salary.

I think our differences are you assume that a CEO runs his company the way YOU would, fairly and equitably, when (at least in my experience) they often don't. The employer before last, was one of the best I had ever worked for, but the economy killed all his companies (and landed me out of work), so I know first hand what you're saying. I know for a fact he started 3 different companies, not from the salary he drew (which by the way was very modest considering) but from the profit of his first company. Unfortunately, only one that I know of survived the 2008 crash. My last employer was a scumbag and I got out of their as fast as I could. Talk about exploiting your workforce... Making multiple MULTIPLE millions and shafting the workers ever way you can imagine. For example, they would higher illegals and then fire legal workers making "too much money". This is purely anecdotal, so I understand if you want look at this with a fish eye, but as the IT Manager, I sat in on those meetings and that was actually said behind closed doors by the CEO and his son the President of the company . This company was founded in a garage and I know the CEO who started the company, literally built it from nothing to a VERY nice cash cow. But, the whole family seemed to have nothing but disdain for their employee's. But, this company started a second company (again using the funds of the first company not the CEO's salary). I know this because the accountant for the company at one time (before I got there and he quit because of all the "shenanigans" they were doing) was my Brother in Law. This second company's sole purpose was to try to keep the customers that got mad at company A doing business with them by giving the information to the sale force of company B (new company) and letting them call and offer them lower pricing, better deliver times etc. But company B was simply turning the orders back into, and having them produced by company A workforce. The shipping dept. just put which ever label on the shipping container. I know because I had to set up the computers and Label printers and show them how to print them. They incorporated across the state line and used an P.O. box, but the offices of company B were simple the next set of offices down the hall from company A. I was sole support for 3 manufacturing sites, over 100 computers, 12 servers and the phone system. I researched and incorporated software, rebuilt servers...etc. Asking for a raise from the $30,000 salary got me nothing but animosity...oh and no benefits for anyone in the place either...except 1 week of pto earned after one years service. No one I know who works for them has anything good to say about them. They mostly hire Hispanic ladies, pay them squat and fire them if they complain.

[Darth Executor]

I think our differences are you assume that a CEO runs his company the way YOU would, fairly and equitably, when (at least in my experience) they often don't. The employer before last, was one of the best I had ever worked for, but the economy killed all his companies (and landed me out of work), so I know first had what you're saying. I know for a fact he started 3 different companies, not from the salary he drew (which by the way was very modest considering) but from the profit of his first company. Unfortunately, only one that I know of survived the 2008 crash. My last employer was a scumbag and I got out of their as fast as I could. Talk about exploiting your workforce... Making multiple MULTIPLE millions and shafting the workers ever way you can imagine. For example, they would higher illegals and then fire legal workers making "too much money". This is purely anecdotal, so I understand if you want look at this with a fish eye, but as the IT Manager, I sat in on those meetings and that was actually said behind closed doors by the CEO and his son the President of the company . This company was founded in a garage and I know the CEO who started the company, literally built it from nothing to a VERY nice cash cow. But, the whole family seemed to have nothing but disdain for their employee's. But, this company started a second company (again using the funds of the first company not the CEO's salary). I know this because the accountant for the company at one time (before I got there and he quit because of all the "shenanigans" they were doing) was my Brother in Law. This second company's sole purpose was to try to keep the customers that got mad at company A doing business with them by giving the information to the sale force of company B (new company) and letting them call and offer them lower pricing, better deliver times etc. But company B was simply turning the orders back into, and having them produced by company A workforce. The shipping dept. just put which ever label on the shipping container. I know because I had to set up the computers and Label printers and show them how to print them. The incorporated across the state line and used an P.O. box, but the offices of company B were simple the next set of offices down the hall from company A. I was sole support for 3 manufacturing sites, over 100 computers, 12 servers and the phone system. I researched and incorporated software, rebuilt servers...etc. Asking for a raise from the $30,000 salary got me nothing but animosity...oh and no benefits for anyone in the place either...except 1 week of pto earned after one years service. No one I know who works for them has anything good to say about them. The mostly hire Hispanic ladies, pay them squat and fire them if they complain.

Isn't hiring illegals illegal? Did you report them?

[Littlejoe]

Isn't hiring illegals illegal? Did you report them?

Yes...and yes...

ETA: I heard they rec'd a nice fine, but now they just work harder to hide the illegals.

[Bill the Cat]

Would that be the effect of the wage cap some of the posters here have suggested?

no

[Bill the Cat]

If I'm the CEO of a company I started, and I want to be able to fund another company that hires a lot of people, why punish me for my hard work, and my risking my own money to build a company?

Or why force you to pay one person's salary when you could hire 2 for the same price? The first may be better off, but the second is completely out of a job with NO wages.

[Spartacus]

no

So do you think there are any ways in which a wage or benefits cap might be helpful?

[Jedidiah]

So do you think there are any ways in which a wage or benefits cap might be helpful?

If it were voluntary, yes.

[Spartacus]

If it were voluntary, yes.

In what way(s) would it be helpful?

[Bill the Cat]

So do you think there are any ways in which a wage or benefits cap might be helpful?

To who?

[Spartacus]

To who?

Anyone. Could a wage cap be helpful in any way to anyone? You can tie the maximum wage to the average worker's wage or not-- any way you like.

[Truthseeker]

Many posts ago, someone raised something like "equal pay for the same work." Actually, while the job description and requirements may be the same, how well it is performed may vary all over the map. You are the owner of a hole in a wall restaurant and the boss of two cooks. One usually cooks hamburgers just right, and seldom if ever burns them. The other usually don't cook them just right and rarely gets them just right. Which one would you be inclined to pay more especially if there is tremendous local competition for good cooks? Which IYO deserves more pay?

[Sam]

I am not sure about economy wide, but fast food places, and their ilk, do pretty much what Darth say's - the same thing as in years gone by. To over simplify - burger flippers have not made any great strides in productivity.

Even if not, why have wages declined in real dollars? The logical argument has to be that worker productivity has actually declined by a significant amount. But there's nothing to suggest that this is the case.