Comments on: Get back to work, you thieving bastards! http://www.rjkoehler.com/2004/11/06/get-back-to-work-you-thieving-bastards/ Korea... in Blog Format Thu, 4 Dec 2008 18:07:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: mark http://www.rjkoehler.com/2004/11/06/get-back-to-work-you-thieving-bastards/#comment-7999 mark Sun, 07 Nov 2004 16:08:35 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1228#comment-7999 Marmot-About civil servants in Korea: Understood. About CEO pay: I hardly think that CEOs sit on a golden throne and poop out the world's wealth. I think they have just a little help from the people that work in that industry(!) I guess my question really is: what is the value system that allows CEO pay ("their own money") to go to such heights, esp. in the USA; European CEOs running companies of similar scales don't get paid as much...why?. If you or I can be happy with 20 or 30 million dollars, then why can't a CEO? Why does it necessarily have to be upwards of a $100 million? (Especially when they are getting pay rises while their company loses money?) I'm not saying that they shouldn't get millions of bucks, but why $200 million or more? I think this is not an issue of some bogus "free market", but a one of values. Just what are the values involved, and who are making these decisions? Marmot-About civil servants in Korea: Understood.

About CEO pay: I hardly think that CEOs sit on a golden throne and poop out the world’s wealth. I think they have just a little help from the people that work in that industry(!) I guess my question really is: what is the value system that allows CEO pay (”their own money”) to go to such heights, esp. in the USA; European CEOs running companies of similar scales don’t get paid as much…why?. If you or I can be happy with 20 or 30 million dollars, then why can’t a CEO? Why does it necessarily have to be upwards of a $100 million? (Especially when they are getting pay rises while their company loses money?) I’m not saying that they shouldn’t get millions of bucks, but why $200 million or more? I think this is not an issue of some bogus “free market”, but a one of values. Just what are the values involved, and who are making these decisions?

]]> By: The Marmot http://www.rjkoehler.com/2004/11/06/get-back-to-work-you-thieving-bastards/#comment-7998 The Marmot Sun, 07 Nov 2004 04:05:39 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1228#comment-7998 Ralph -- just to explain what that means, in the ROK, the prime minister has a duty to maintain "political neutrality." Like the rest of the administration, he's is not viewed as a politician -- despite the fact that he, in fact, a serving lawmaker -- but a high-ranking civil servant. One might argue that this is completely retarded, and in fact, President Roh argued as much before the April general election (I think the exact quote is, "Let's be honest -- the president is a politician"). But that's the way it works here, so that's that. Mark -- I didn't say civil servants were underpaid and/or underworked. I did say, however, that in the ROK, they shouldn't be allowed to strike. Civil servants know before they take their jobs that in return for secure employment and guaranteed pensions, they give up their "three labor rights," including the right to engage in collective action. And while the CEOs of the world may, in fact, "eat much more of our society's wealth," they also generate much of our society's wealth. What they chose to do with their own money is none of my concern, unless that money is being paid to them out of the public coffer (as is the case in military-related industries and public bailouts), in which case what they do with that money is very much my concern. Ralph — just to explain what that means, in the ROK, the prime minister has a duty to maintain “political neutrality.” Like the rest of the administration, he’s is not viewed as a politician — despite the fact that he, in fact, a serving lawmaker — but a high-ranking civil servant. One might argue that this is completely retarded, and in fact, President Roh argued as much before the April general election (I think the exact quote is, “Let’s be honest — the president is a politician”). But that’s the way it works here, so that’s that.

Mark — I didn’t say civil servants were underpaid and/or underworked. I did say, however, that in the ROK, they shouldn’t be allowed to strike. Civil servants know before they take their jobs that in return for secure employment and guaranteed pensions, they give up their “three labor rights,” including the right to engage in collective action.

And while the CEOs of the world may, in fact, “eat much more of our society’s wealth,” they also generate much of our society’s wealth. What they chose to do with their own money is none of my concern, unless that money is being paid to them out of the public coffer (as is the case in military-related industries and public bailouts), in which case what they do with that money is very much my concern.

]]> By: Ralph http://www.rjkoehler.com/2004/11/06/get-back-to-work-you-thieving-bastards/#comment-7997 Ralph Sat, 06 Nov 2004 15:48:29 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1228#comment-7997 Don't know hardly anything about SK politics but I found the comment "even if most of what Lee said is true (which it was)he's not supposed to say things like that as prime minister" very interesting. Don’t know hardly anything about SK politics but I found the comment “even if most of what Lee said is true (which it was)he’s not supposed to say things like that as prime minister” very interesting.

]]> By: mark http://www.rjkoehler.com/2004/11/06/get-back-to-work-you-thieving-bastards/#comment-7996 mark Sat, 06 Nov 2004 08:15:37 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1228#comment-7996 Yes, tax money-eating public servants are definitely the scourge of our era. I should know-my dad's a public school teacher in the states and he's WAY, WAY overpaid for the works he does and the amount of education he has(!) All other factors being equal, his friends in the private sector earn twice or three times as much. The Ken Lays of this world and the CEOs of Ford Motor Company ($93 mil. in pay a year and $125 mil. in stock options) eat much more of our society's wealth. But hey: people like that shouldn't have to sacrifice! Yes, tax money-eating public servants are definitely the scourge of our era. I should know-my dad’s a public school teacher in the states and he’s WAY, WAY overpaid for the works he does and the amount of education he has(!) All other factors being equal, his friends in the private sector earn twice or three times as much. The Ken Lays of this world and the CEOs of Ford Motor Company ($93 mil. in pay a year and $125 mil. in stock options) eat much more of our society’s wealth. But hey: people like that shouldn’t have to sacrifice!

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