Now show us the government wage and benefit comparisons.

Oh if only this annointed group had to justify their pay like any other business expense (ROI anyone)? And what if the fat were trimmed out of exec pay and perks before there were lay-offs and projects of long term benefit (but not short term juice the price of shares kinds of deals that benefit option holding execs).

Mostly lost in all of these conversations is that corporations exist to benefit the owners/shareholders not to fatten executive cows at the expense of all other stakeholders.

Who knows? I'm not usually for gotv interference in pay issues, but the Dodd-Frank law requiring stockholder approval may be a good thing.

I think the only reason all the finance and car companies paid all the TARP money back ASAP was because the TARP money had a clause saying the govt could limit pay increases to executives.

Conidering the performance of most executives in not being able to do much more that run things like they've always been run, I can see the reasoning. Especially when you get boards that are chummy with them.

And remember those Bush tax cuts go on, and on, and on...for the benefit of those making OVER $1,000,000 a year. Meanwhile the rest of us get poorer as a result.
Eventually revolutions happen when the majority of the population is too poor and down trodden to care if they get killed opposing the status quo.
People with nothing have nothing to loose.

Um, Steve, you do know that the car and finance companies have not paid all the money back?

"...it seems that GM's claims to have repaid its TARP loans in full and ahead of schedule are, well, bulls**t. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner pointing out that GM has apparently paid back its TARP money with...more TARP money. Here's some of Grassley's query..." Read it all here:
http://reason.com/blog/2010/04/23/gm-pays-back-tarp-loans-withta

portland native: at least the rest of us (some 47% or so) don't have to pay any income taxes at all. That's better than some measly tax cut, don't you think?

Then of course counting payroll taxes the number not paying any taxes drops to 24%. Then you add in sales taxes and the number drops to almost 0. (States with no sales tax are New Hampshire, Maryland, Montana, Alaska, and uh, the last one.)

Since 10% of the population earns 90% of the income I am comfortable with them paying 90% of the taxes.

"you do know that the car and finance companies have not paid all the money back?"

I stand corrected, they borrowed new money to get rid of the TARP money. Reasoning is still the same though.

I don't care how much they get paid, but let's begin holding them responsible for what happens. Eleven men die on your oil rig. You go to jail. Twenty-four die in your coal mine. Then you get charged with 24 counts of manslaughter. That's just for starters. Then we add in the pollution problem.

the "National Razor" needs to come out of moth balls. Let the Revolution begin.

Why dont't these smarty-pants-corporations wise up and outsource the CEO position like they do with the bottom feeder positions? I'm sure there are equally capable execs in India willing to work for a fraction of $70 million.