The Top 40.................

[bionicarm]

Ever watch that show Shark Tank? They have all these multi-million dollar entrepreneurs that made they're money working hard and investing in niches with high profit margins. When they get these virgin entreprneurs on the show trying to get one of these guys to invest in their product, and the "prey" says they are building their widgets locally because they want to have their products "Made in America", every Shark lambast them and say "Why aren't you making those in China?" That's the mentality of the mega-rich business owner. What it takes to increase the bottom line.

 

[reefraff]

Simple truth is if the ipod had been made in the United States it would have been too expensive to ever make it in this market.
100 years or so ago it was Vanderbilt or Morgan that said they needed the middle class and that has not changed. Look at GM. They are back in H U G E trouble already, a lot worse than they are letting on and it's because they can't sell enough cars to cover expenses here. Do you honestly think the rich industrialists don't want people in this country to be able to buy their products? We don't export nearly enough to depend on foreign markets for these people to make their profits.

 

[reefraff]

Quote:
Originally Posted by bionicarm http:///t/392751/the-top-40/60#post_3489858
Ever watch that show Shark Tank? They have all these multi-million dollar entrepreneurs that made they're money working hard and investing in niches with high profit margins. When they get these virgin entreprneurs on the show trying to get one of these guys to invest in their product, and the "prey" says they are building their widgets locally because they want to have their products "Made in America", every Shark lambast them and say "Why aren't you making those in China?" That's the mentality of the mega-rich business owner. What it takes to increase the bottom line.
You have two vacuum cleaners sitting side by side. Both perform evenly and look similar. One is 99.00 and one is 149.00. How many people will shop by price and how many will look for Made in the USA? Again, sad but true/

 

[theclemsonkid]

Quote:
Originally Posted by reefraff http:///t/392751/the-top-40/60#post_3489860
Simple truth is if the ipod had been made in the United States it would have been too expensive to ever make it in this market.
100 years or so ago it was Vanderbilt or Morgan that said they needed the middle class and that has not changed. Look at GM. They are back in H U G E trouble already, a lot worse than they are letting on and it's because they can't sell enough cars to cover expenses here. Do you honestly think the rich industrialists don't want people in this country to be able to buy their products? We don't export nearly enough to depend on foreign markets for these people to make their profits.
No, I think the rich industrialists don't care at this point. That's what I'm saying. If you are the CEO at GM and are set to make 15 million this year, already have 100 million in the bank, and you have to send your production overseas in order to keep that paycheck coming in, that's what you are going to do. What does it matter to them if the company goes bankrupt? They already have their money. But again, it's that mentality that keeps the current system the way it is.
Anything to make more, more, more...

 

[theclemsonkid]

Quote:
Originally Posted by reefraff http:///t/392751/the-top-40/60#post_3489862
You have two vacuum cleaners sitting side by side. Both perform evenly and look similar. One is 99.00 and one is 149.00. How many people will shop by price and how many will look for Made in the USA? Again, sad but true/
This is where I'm not an economist, so I don't know... Let's say you took the top annual salaries of the ten highest paid people at Apple and cut them by 30%. For arguments sake, let's say that those people on average make $30 million a year each. So, take $9 million from each person and use that $90 million to build a $15 million building facility and pay workers a decent wage with the remaining $75 million bucks annually. If the money is coming from the top, do you really need to increase your product price?
Let's say you paid 500 workers $40,000 a year, that's only $20 million.
The top people still make gobs of money, just not quite as much. And you could build at least some components here with the money saved from raking off the top.
Again, I'm no economist, but I feel like if these people in the top 1% took less off the top, and used that to reinvest in American jobs it wouldn't be so bad?

 

[reefraff]

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheClemsonKid http:///t/392751/the-top-40/60#post_3489868
This is where I'm not an economist, so I don't know... Let's say you took the top annual salaries of the ten highest paid people at Apple and cut them by 30%. For arguments sake, let's say that those people on average make $30 million a year each. So, take $9 million from each person and use that $90 million to build a $15 million building facility and pay workers a decent wage with the remaining $75 million bucks annually. If the money is coming from the top, do you really need to increase your product price?
Let's say you paid 500 workers $40,000 a year, that's only $20 million.
The top people still make gobs of money, just not quite as much. And you could build at least some components here with the money saved from raking off the top.
Again, I'm no economist, but I feel like if these people in the top 1% took less off the top, and used that to reinvest in American jobs it wouldn't be so bad?
If the numbers would work like that someone would do it because in the long run it's good business. I'll use this as an example because I happen to know it off the top of my head. It would today cost, depending on size, 2 to 4 Billion to build an oil refinery in this country. That excludes utilities, taxes, insurance, licenses, maintenance costs AND employee wages and benefits. It's expensive to build stuff here.

 

[theclemsonkid]

Quote:
Originally Posted by reefraff http:///t/392751/the-top-40/60#post_3489875
If the numbers would work like that someone would do it because in the long run it's good business. I'll use this as an example because I happen to know it off the top of my head. It would today cost, depending on size, 2 to 4 Billion to build an oil refinery in this country. That excludes utilities, taxes, insurance, licenses, maintenance costs AND employee wages and benefits. It's expensive to build stuff here.
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2012/12/ceo-compensation-12_rank.html
Just look at the top 10 CEO's alone. This year they will make a combined $616.37 million dollars for an average of almost $62 million per person...
Most of these people will make half a quarter of a billion in their lifetimes.
Again, why does anyone need that much money?!?

 

[mantisman51]

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheClemsonKid http:///t/392751/the-top-40/60#post_3489878
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2012/12/ceo-compensation-12_rank.html
Just look at the top 10 CEO's alone. This year they will make a combined $616.37 million dollars for an average of almost $62 million per person...
Most of these people will make half a quarter of a billion in their lifetimes.
Again, why does anyone need that much money?!?
I agree. Obviously I am opposed to the government dictating salaries, but this does need to end. Executives today are making 10x, even 20x more than the average executive made relative to the average employee salary than they did 20 or 30 years ago. So if the average employee in 1985 made $30k a year, the average executive made something like $300k. Now if the average employee wage is $30k a year, the CEO and other executives are making $20-$50 million. It is so out of whack that something needs to change, but I don't know how it can be changed without implementing some sort of Marxist government intervention, which I think would simply end up destroying American business. So I am stumped, angry and sickened, but stumped.

 

[reefraff]

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheClemsonKid http:///t/392751/the-top-40/60#post_3489878
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2012/12/ceo-compensation-12_rank.html
Just look at the top 10 CEO's alone. This year they will make a combined $616.37 million dollars for an average of almost $62 million per person...
Most of these people will make half a quarter of a billion in their lifetimes.
Again, why does anyone need that much money?!?
Because that is what the market dictates. we can['t have the government start dictating wages.

 

[theclemsonkid]

Quote:
Originally Posted by reefraff http:///t/392751/the-top-40/60#post_3489881
Because that is what the market dictates. we can['t have the government start dictating wages.
I'm curious as to what you mean when you say "that is what the market dictates". I don't think the market dictates what a CEO is paid so long as the company is making a profit. The board of directors is who chooses what to pay their CEO. Like mantisman51 said in a previous post... The percentages of what the top earners are making in comparison to the average salary of one of their workers has increased ten fold over the past 30 years. I'm not saying that you should have government intervention... but if you let greed and wealth go unchecked this is exactly what is going to happen.
Again, take even 10% of what these people at the top make and reinvest that in American jobs and let's see what happens. I'm not saying it solves the problem, but it would certainly help.

 

[bionicarm]

Quote:
Originally Posted by reefraff http:///t/392751/the-top-40/60#post_3489881
Because that is what the market dictates. we can['t have the government start dictating wages.
The market may dictate it, but the CEO's don't care. The cost to produce a products don't line up with the percent of inflation. Meaning, Apple charges $700 for a new IPad, but their cost to produce that device has probably gone down over the last few years as oppossed to going up. But that's how our capitalistic system works. Supply and Demand. If there's enough purchasers out there willing to pay $700 for that device, Apple will keep selling it for that price. The problem is, we've become a country of consumerism, where we have to have the newest of whatever first. The mega-corporations just laugh all the way to the bank. You say GM is in trouble again. Why? Does it cost more to purchase the parts and materials to build a Chevy Silverado than it did 3 years ago? I'd say no. But GM had no problem increasing the price of that truck by 15% over the last 3 years. CEO's would rather file for bankruptcy instead of simply dropping the price of their goods that gives them a smaller profit margin. Then of course you have these Golden Parachutes where these CEO's get these massive payouts for doing a bad job. You had this CEO from Duke Energy that worked one day, got biffed, and received $44 miilion in severance. Best Buy is on the verge of bankruptcy, and they hire this French guy who ran Carlson in Europe. If the guy can't get a work visa to work in the US, he gets $6.25 million regardless. If he does get his "papers", he gets a $20 million sign-on bonus, with a salary of $1.75 million and stock options. CEO's have so many incentive clauses built into their contracts, they get rewarded massive amounts of money for failure.

 

[mantisman51]

I think the sun just fell out of the sky. I agree 100% with Bionic.

 

[bionicarm]

Looks like 58% of Americans think the rich don't pay enough taxes -
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/48802418

 

[reefraff]

Quote:
Originally Posted by bionicarm http:///t/392751/the-top-40/60#post_3489884
The market may dictate it, but the CEO's don't care. The cost to produce a products don't line up with the percent of inflation. Meaning, Apple charges $700 for a new IPad, but their cost to produce that device has probably gone down over the last few years as oppossed to going up. But that's how our capitalistic system works. Supply and Demand. If there's enough purchasers out there willing to pay $700 for that device, Apple will keep selling it for that price. The problem is, we've become a country of consumerism, where we have to have the newest of whatever first. The mega-corporations just laugh all the way to the bank. You say GM is in trouble again. Why? Does it cost more to purchase the parts and materials to build a Chevy Silverado than it did 3 years ago? I'd say no. But GM had no problem increasing the price of that truck by 15% over the last 3 years. CEO's would rather file for bankruptcy instead of simply dropping the price of their goods that gives them a smaller profit margin. Then of course you have these Golden Parachutes where these CEO's get these massive payouts for doing a bad job. You had this CEO from Duke Energy that worked one day, got biffed, and received $44 miilion in severance. Best Buy is on the verge of bankruptcy, and they hire this French guy who ran Carlson in Europe. If the guy can't get a work visa to work in the US, he gets $6.25 million regardless. If he does get his "papers", he gets a $20 million sign-on bonus, with a salary of $1.75 million and stock options. CEO's have so many incentive clauses built into their contracts, they get rewarded massive amounts of money for failure.
The cost to build an iPad probably has increased. A lot of the price of a product like that is to recoup R&D. Remember when digital watches first came out? Within a few years a 150.00 watch could be had for less than 50.00.
GM is in trouble because they are holding a lot of paper on car loans on people with questionable credit. Their profit margin isn't enough to cover the hit they'll take if we even get close to another recession. But I digress. Transportation costs and energy costs have gone up a lot the last 3 years. I am not aware of GM raising their price 15% over that time but I bet build cost has increased over that time.

 

[reefraff]

Quote:
Originally Posted by bionicarm http:///t/392751/the-top-40/60#post_3489888
Looks like 58% of Americans think the rich don't pay enough taxes -
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/48802418
You have to educate people on the facts to get a real answer. You'd be amazed at some of the reactions people have when they see exactly who pays income tax and how much they pay. Top 5% earn 30% of the income and pay 60% of the taxes. Typical response is "Uhhh, really?, no, that can't be right"

 

[theclemsonkid]

I guess it's all about perspective.
If Bill makes 35 million a year, he knows he is incredibly fortunate and has no problem paying 50% of his earnings to taxes that help the people who purchase his product live better lives. He still pockets a cool 15 million bucks and lives happily ever after.
Then you have Charles, who also makes 35 million a year, but he doesn't give a s**t about the rest of the people who are buying his product, because it's his money damn it, and you're gonna have to pry it out of his cold, dead hands before the government gets a hold of it.
Like I've said this whole time, I can't understand how any one human being thinks they are worth 10 million dollars a year. I give Bill and Melinda Gates a lot of credit... they give 90% of their fortune away... If only everyone was more like that

 

[reefraff]

Oh if only tax money didn't go to the most undeserving people but unfortunately between the politicians and those willing to be bought by them......

 

[ironeagle2006]

You also need to look at all the REGULATIONS in this Nation as to Another reason WHY HIGH PAYING JOBS LEFT THIS NATION. Lets look at the OTR Industry Shall we in the time Since I left in 2000 when I devolped my Epilepsy from a TBI in 2 areas the Emissions from the Engines under the Hoods and Hours of Services Regulations Shall we. In the Emissions Front the EPA took the Big 3 Engine Makers to court in 1999 Sued them WITHOUT PROOF now for having a so called Cruise Setting that allowed them to get Better Fuel Economy while going down the road but Produced Higher Emissions EVEN THOUGH THEIR OWN DATA DID NOT BACK UP THEIR CLAIMS IT TURNED OUT. What did the Engine Makers agree to Just to KEEP SELLING ENGINES Agreed to pay 1 Billion in FINES and have New TOUGHER EMISSION STANDARDS FORCED ON THEM IN HALF THE TIME. What happened when they did not have the time to Meet the New Standards with Proper Testing. Fuel Mileage Dropped from 6-7 MPG for a Normal OTR Truck to around 4-5 MPG and what did they gain in a Reduction in Emissions less than a 2% overall reduction in what comes out of the Stacks. What did it cost the Industry Billions in Extra Repairs and Trucks that now cost 40K more because of the Extra Stuff on them.
Here is What happened with HOS in this Nation. For 70+ Years we had a Very Simple System you had a Max of 70 Hours in 8 Days with a Max of 10 Hours of Driving in one day and 15 hours of on Duty time in a day you hit 70 your Done til you regain time in the book. Well Some Lawyer and Some IDIOTS in Washington goes that can cause Fatigue without looking at the Real issues in the OTR industry like Shipper Delays Loading and Unloading of Trucks lack of Parking you Know SIMPLE STUFF and goes we need to change it. The Industry is now on their 5th Attempt to REDO something that had worked for 70 Years. The First attempt was to add an extra hour to the Drive time the Second one added the 34 hour Reset into the same Mix. The Next one went to the 11/14 and with a clock you can not stop. The next attempt is 11/14 with a mandatory break after 8 hours for 30 mins all keep the same 70/8 hour Rule but REFUSE to address the Shipper and Receiver Delays Plus this one makes a reset 48 hours. We had something that worked very well for 70 Years but for some Idiot in Washington make themselves feel good they had to SCREW IT UP. We had a system that if you abused your time and ran hard you had to rest to regain time. Now Compaines can Burn you at both ends and when you snap replace you with the next IDIOT that can barely hold the truck in the lane. Do not get me started on CVSA scoring were a Seatbelt ticket and a Blown Marker light is worth more points to take your CDL away from you than having a Broken wheel in total Points. Yep your hearing that right a Light on top of the truck is worth 15 Points a Wheel that is busted and could fly off and kill someone is worth 8. A seatbelt ticket is worth 14. So do the math they care more lights working than wheels that could fly off and kill someone.

 

[sweat90lx]

I have paid almost $5000 in fed tax and over $2000 in state taxes so far this year. I am a LONGGG way from the $250K that is considered rich. How much do you think I will get back on my taxes? How much do you think the government makes on interest on our taxation? If I dont have to pay in I will be happy.
CEOs are paid rediculous salaries as long as they can fudge the numbers and show a percentage of profit year over year. The company I work for is no different. Our CEOs annual salary is $1.1million but after his bonus, stocks, and OTHER is $19.83million according to Forbes he is #51 on the list. Is any man/job worth that salary and how many jobs at my income would that create? Do you think he might be influenced by political pressure?
ironeagle- I know the shipping business pretty good from the other side, the rails. My company is being forced into an "environmental policy" that will cost the company $12 Billion. Our customers will be charged for this extra cost.
What happened to the guy on the news a few years ago that found a way to run an engine on water?
Our politicians are corrupt and are only interested in personal gain. Ive said it many, many times but our system of government has failed. People will vote for who ever gives them the most for nothing. They are not willing to do hard work for gains and accept losses.

 

[reefraff]

Theres an old quote about the death of Democracy coming once the people figure out they can vote for free stuff for themselves. We are headed that direction.