lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

America is the land of opportunity, few would dispute that, but it's obvious that some have more opportunity than others. There are countless examples of people who started with nothing, or less than nothing, who succeeded through drive, ambition, sacrifice and hard work. Capitalism tells us that those folk deserve the fruits of their labor. The thing is, no one succeeds all by themselves.

Whether early or later in their endeavors, all of those who "made it big" had help of some sort, secretaries, salespeople, whatever, and ALL of them require help in continuing the success. Even those who began their endeavors with lots of money left them by their parents, require the help of others. So, if THEY deserve the fruits of their labor, those who helped along the way ALSO deserve some fruit.

We seem to have a disconnect in our application of Capitalistic principles. Those who became rich are allowed to protect those riches with our blessing, we don't treat their employees with the same consideration. Why do the wealthy get a pass? Capitalism follows the principle that the worker is worthy of his ( or her ) hire, we applaud those who started with little who gathered a lot, and those who started with a lot who become philanthropists.

There is nothing in the Capitalism ideology that says that the wealthy must be treated with a hands off mentality. There is nothing that says the wealthy must pony up more of their riches to the Government to squander. There IS a precept that those who work hard deserve just compensation..................which includes wage earners. That means, a company who's CEO makes 300 times what an average worker makes is in violation of Capitalistic principles. If the shareholders are dissatisfied with their dividends, they should reduce employee compensation - starting at the top - not the bottom.

If the US would practice true Capitalism, everyone would prosper, not just those at the top.

Lonewolf

Vary good post thank you

Liberty Tree

Your post does not sound like capitalism. It sounds like communism. It is more of Obama's "you did not build that yourself." It is Karl Marx's "workers of the world unite" and the proletariat against the perceived sristocracy.

ImLogicallyRight

True capitalism includes the principal that you get for your labor what the market will bare. Those doing the hiring figure out what are the benefits of labor to the companies bottom line. Then they hire accordingly. If a secretary's work is worth so much for her labor and level of expertise, say $25/hour, then it is worth that at a struggling company as well as a company whose growth is growing rapidly. A struggling company might have to actually try to pay less then the $25/hour to make ends meet. The real successful company might be able to pay more. But the successful company is under no obligation to pay more. It might be to their benefit, but not an obligation.

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Sometimes, though not always, you are logically right.

padremike Loc: Phenix City, Al

That is where his comments led me also. Fair wage for a fair days work. If we don't believe our employer is paying us according to our worth, we find another job. Capitalism allows this mobility.

manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

=================================================================Let me tell a true story from Holland. In about 1980 or so the leftist unions threatened to strike unless wages were restructured by the government such that a CEO's income was no more than 3 times that of a janitor.
The reaction was swift and effective. The ten largest companies banded together, which represented the majority of jobs in the nation, and sent a letter to the government that said: if you pass such a law we, the largest employers here, will move our operations to other countries, leaving you to figure out how to cope with just about total unemployment in the country. I cannot remember the whole list of companies, but it included Royal Dutch Shell, Philips, and AHOLD, and seven others. ( I was allowed to read these sensitive letters as an executive of Philips at that time.)

Rather rapidly, the government gave assurances to the companies that such a law would not be brought up at all.

Most American Corporations could conceivably use some variation of the same tactic if faced with such diabolical demands.

Floyd Brown Loc: Milwaukee WI

There are published numbers on profits & wages.
Over the last 40 plus years the percent that went to profits has gained & the part that went for wages fell farther behind.

There are may here bemoaning the fact that they are not getting their fair share.
There is a united effort to blame those with the least as being the reason for that.
But over the course of the last 40 plus years the few at the top have gained the most while in the rest of the system most lost ground.

This will continue until those complainers find where the blame really should be.

truthiness

..
The non-levelness of the playing field tilts the economy away from capitalism toward oligarchy:
https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746

Tug484

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

Henry Ford paid his automakers far more than the going wage at the time. Know why? Because he wanted his employees to be able to buy..................................the cars they were making.

Capitalism does not support siphoning money out of the market into private offshore accounts, yet that's what we approve of here. Let the CEO's of the top ten companies fire all their employees and do everything themselves. More profit that way right? Well, probably not. How many cars can the executives at GM make in a day, assuming they can even do it? Then, they have to see the cars delivered to dealerships. GM would be out of business by the end of the week.

We conflate Capitalism with Feudalism, purport to be a classless society while segregating ourselves into classes, claim to be well informed citizens while swallowing the same bullshit our fathers swallowed. There are no "self made" millionaires............................ somebody somewhere in the chain of events helped them. Make enough money and become a super hero, crapping on all the little people who gave you your super powers.

Wake up little people................................you're being taken advantage of.

Tug484

America 1 Loc: South Miami

Improve your skills and rise toward the top.
"Education is your best investment." Ben Franklin quote.

Big Kahuna

I can tell that you are on the bottom wrung of the American society and wish to take from others the fruits of their labor. Try getting off your duff and doing something productive instead of watching Colonic Krapperdick take a knee or the Americans women's soccer team disrespect our flag!! Socialism never works so quit espousing it!! Quit being a victim.

truthiness

...
Nothing like data to expose your inability to process facts rather than having to shift the conversation to cultural events that you don't like and assuming the world of others and their wrung on some mythical ladder that you create. Here is a real ladder based on facts:

https://www.epi.org/publication/charting-wage-stagnation/