Conservative Solutions to Wage Disparity?

[Nate_C]

A new study by Lawrence Mishel and Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute, found that productivity grew by a whopping 62.5 percent between 1989 and 2010, but that real hourly wages increased by just 12 percent over the same period. That suggests that companies are giving far more of their profits to shareholders, and far less to workers. Indeed, corporate profits are 22 percent above where they were before the recession. In addition A chief executive officer of a S&P 500 index company was paid an average $9.25 million in total compensation in 2010, or 180 times that of a average worker (not including other C-Level executives and board members), a increase over the 40 time disparity in 1970.

I am curious what is the Tea Party / Conservative solution to this issue is. Is it not a problem?

[huntinman]

I doubt if the average worker is producing that much more. A lot of the increase in production is probably from modernization and automation in the workplace over that time period. Computers??

[Franco]

Up 22% since which recession?

2008?

We've had record corporate bankruptcies since 2008.

[HPL]

What is the "Economic Policy Institute?"

[Nate_C]

Well sure, but that can be said of most productivity changes since the early 1800's. The tools workers have make them more productive. However do CEO design, install, customize, run or update those tools. No that's what the workers do. Just like machinery did in the 1800's. So why is the income gap growing again?

Most people on the right are against wealth redistribution, not very pro union, want corp tax rates dropped...ect.. These policies certinly don't help to reduce wage disparity. Many ascribe to trickle down type beliefs which have not been working over the past 25 years either. Solid blue collar and lower level white collar jobs are being lost and replaced with service worker jobs paying much less.

I was interested in getting the view point of those on the far edges of the right on whether or not this was a problem and if so what to do about it.

[Buzz]

If they aren't getting funding from the Koch Brothers, then it's best to just ignore them.

I was interested in getting the view point of those on the far edges of the right on whether or not this was a problem and if so what to do about it.

Boy did you come to the right place!

[Franco]

I was interested in getting the view point of those on the far edges of the right on whether or not this was a problem and if so what to do about it.

Well, that leaves me out.

But, I will add that with many industries having been consolidated, with growing pressure on CEO's to deliver to the bottom line in order to receive thier bonuses in publicly held companies. It is usually the entry level and mid-managers that suffer the most in job consolidation and pay.

Once we stop letting Wall St run the Federal Reserve(or better yet, dissolve the Fed) and huge corporations write the antitrust laws, we may see better pay for the mules.

[BrianW]

If they aren't getting funding from the Koch Brothers, then it's best to just ignore them.

Boy did you come to the right place!

well the BOD includes presidents AFL-CIO, AFSCME, IAMAW, AFT, CWA, USWA so I'm sure they're very impartial.

[Cody Covey]

Well sure, but that can be said of most productivity changes since the early 1800's. The tools workers have make them more productive. However do CEO design, install, customize, run or update those tools. No that's what the workers do. Just like machinery did in the 1800's. So why is the income gap growing again?

Most people on the right are against wealth redistribution, not very pro union, want corp tax rates dropped...ect.. These policies certinly don't help to reduce wage disparity. Many ascribe to trickle down type beliefs which have not been working over the past 25 years either. Solid blue collar and lower level white collar jobs are being lost and replaced with service worker jobs paying much less.

I was interested in getting the view point of those on the far edges of the right on whether or not this was a problem and if so what to do about it.

Do you propose trickle up economics?

[dnf777]

Well sure, but that can be said of most productivity changes since the early 1800's. The tools workers have make them more productive. However do CEO design, install, customize, run or update those tools. No that's what the workers do. Just like machinery did in the 1800's. So why is the income gap growing again?

Most people on the right are against wealth redistribution, not very pro union, want corp tax rates dropped...ect.. These policies certinly don't help to reduce wage disparity. Many ascribe to trickle down type beliefs which have not been working over the past 25 years either. Solid blue collar and lower level white collar jobs are being lost and replaced with service worker jobs paying much less.

I was interested in getting the view point of those on the far edges of the right on whether or not this was a problem and if so what to do about it.

Great question Nate. I'm interested in the answers also. The times this country has seen its greatest prosperity also happen to coincide with some of the smaller CEO/Worker disparity periods. Our worst economic times, like now, have coincided with the largest disparity.

Redistribution of wealth is only a "good thing" when its taking wages and benefits away from working class Americans, and giving it to corporations and the elite in the form of tax breaks, which historically have NOT resulted in job creation, just wealth creation for those on the receiving end.

Let's see what the RW response is. I'm very interested to see if they think 200x pay scales for CEOs who off-shore American jobs is ok.