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Andrew Bathgate

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On average are the CEO's of the top 100 companies worth their salary?

In my experience many of the top CEO's seem to fall in to their positions by being well connected rather than being particularly talented. This does not apply to those that created their own company. They then manipulate their compensation to far outstrip what the market would set it at if it were working correctly.

Topics: Compensation corruption inequality motivation
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  • David Saia

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    Nov 26 2011: Andrew- I believe there is no compassionate capitalism. That's the problem. It is about getting more and eventually the most, for money having the extreme level of value it has in capitalism ultimately corrupts, first in small ways and then in huge, nation-bending ways. True innovators are not motivated by money exclusively- perhaps by work, or by invention, or by helping people, but if the goal is getting rich, or at least getting more money, then it will stop short of innovation. I agree that meritocracy has to win out to save the planet, but it will be hard to sell it to America after so many years of thinking competitively and motivated by the "me" and mine. It is an old "modernist" notion that has corrupted all who touch it. We used to have the idea that we were different from "undeveloped" nations and it was "right" to go in and show them how to improve their societies. Actual cultures will ultimately reject the help because the cost is too great- usually resulting in subordinating their uniqueness into a larger whole that is insensitive to their needs and lifestyles. We have to think in a community based way, not a national way, for nations as we understand them are an illusion of unity that feeds the corporate machine and are therefore promoted as real- at great expense. We are a collection of small communities and cultures- the melting pot did not work . . . . did it? That's just my opinion.

    • Andrew Bathgate

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      Nov 27 2011: I disagree. I think taxation can be used to keep the competition alive. Especially estate taxes. And those taxes pay for welfare which needs to be provided with intelligence as well as compassion.

      The natural end point of unrestrained capitalism is plutocracy.

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