Comments on: The GOP's War On The Investor Class

The New Republic: Republican Party Opposes Letting Shareholders Speak Out On CEO Pay

[sharncedar]

The big lie in this article is that somehow the Democrats represent something other than rich CEO's. How exactly? They are just as subservient, the whole congress is in agreement on this one, they are all in it together. The only classes in American society are us and them, and unless us gets a little smarter and little angrier we ain't going to be able to do a thing. Except read these puff propaganda pieces.

[Razzl]

Nowhere does the genuine fact that the GOP represents solely the interests of the capitalist class come through more clearly than in the absurd arrangements which have been permitted to exist in the equities markets and the governance of "public" companies. Delaware was mentioned, a state that makes it a cottage industry to allow corporations to incorporate themselves as Delaware companies in all manner of blatantly unfair or illegal forms such as hidden interlocking directorships, etc. Non-voting shares, uncontrolled executive pay, directors that hire ceo's as employees and then permit them to use their leverage to bid the company out from under the shareholders, the whole package of privileged corruption is there.

I contend that newly-minted MBA's from America's top business schools could be given the executive chair at any major corporation and run it competently on a minor-leaguer's salary, or in many cases run it better, without demanding ownership of the company in exchange for their services. This business of bribing people to be ceo's is just a funnel by which the privileged classes can steal openly what they think they're entitled to.

[hypnotoad72]

SusanHelit - exactly. They get golden parachutes for giving us* golden showers.

* investors, employees, and customers

[monty_4]

Alas, another piece of evidence that Conservatives miss the days of aristocracy and monarchy. I wonder why the bad-mouth "Old Europe" so much...

[terrapin78]

I don't believe any CEO is worth his or her weight in Spam (the meat)!

They should be paid on performance. Stock price up they get paid, stock price down, they pay!

[adventurepa]

I'll take myself and 20 workers and split the CEO's pay evenly between us.
We will work harder, govern a corporation better and provide better leadership than any one CEO out there.
No way one person is going to out perform 20 people or provide better leadership.
CEO's are overpaid.
Period.

[susanhelit]

Seems kinda 'duh' to me - of course the shareholders should be able to say they object to the current salary. Heck, they own the company, seems to me they could vote to set the salary period.

CEO salaries clearly are a problem - they don't represent the job the CEO is doing - failing companies pay their CEOs tons. No one else gets paid like that.

[perception5]

"The poor dears. The average CEO of a Standard & Poor 500 company earns nearly $15 million a year. Posted by estuardo40 at 02:06 PM : May 22, 2007

.....Yeah estuardo, that's what Katie going to make this year at CBS..........$15 million.

[king77shaw]

A CALL TO ACTION !
small steps that each of us can take to wrestle control back from the Republican neo-con elite that are destroying America %u2026

1) CANCEL YOUR CABLE TV: let the corporate media moguls know that you can no longer support the propaganda .. get your news from PBS .. you learn to live quite nicely without the other cable shows you thought you needed - the truth is more important than cable tv %u2026

2) STOP INVESTING YOUR MONEY ON WALL STREET: %u201Cbut it%u2019s doing so well%u201D %u2026 reason - corporate America is selling out the middle class to the lowest global bidder and using our own money to do it; let%u2019s face it, the financial markets will push for anything that increases profits - even war; especially war %u2026 which is why the stock market is at record highs while a) the middle east is in utter chaos; b) national, trade and personal debt/deficits are at all time, unsustainable highs; %u2026 best to invest your money in land, real estate or gold and silver%u2026

3) SUPPORT LOCAL ECONOMIES !
if possible, BURN WOOD for heat;
GROW YOUR OWN FOOD or support local growers;
implement alternative energy sources (solar, hybrid autos etc ..)

4) DECENTRALIZE ! - the global economy is nothing more than a ploy to centralize power, control and wealth into the hands of an elite few - blinded by misinformation, the American people are buying right into it - the rich get richer and the middle class is quickly becoming the working poor ...

[estuardo40]

"The poor dears. The average CEO of a Standard & Poor 500 company earns nearly $15 million a year. I thought this would make it worthwhile to suffer perhaps some very occasional criticism from the people who pay their salaries. But apparently beneath the image of the hard-charging chief executive lie some very delicate flowers."

I about wet my pants laughing, when I read this. I'm glad someone in Washington thinks the shareholders should have greater say in how a company should be run. Granted, the Democrats are just shlemping for votes, but whatever works.... It's obvious to me the Republicans could care less about little o' me, having to decide between a pension, or helping my children through college. It's sad that $90,000/year doesn't go as far as it use to.