Obscene salaries

[unofan]

The crux of the problem seems to come down to the same tired old exchange:

Idealistic progressive: "we have to help people! let's provide them support and assistance!"

Cautious conservative: "don't we want to make sure that what we are doing will actually work?"

and the inability to even hear what the other is saying soon degenerates into name-calling.

From A “WEAPON IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE”: THE RHETORICAL PRESIDENCY IN HISTORICAL AND CONCEPTUAL CONTEXT by Jeffrey Friedman, Critical Review 19 (2–3): 197–240




and then we have this:



so what we've been doing for 50 years clearly isn't working (see Mookie's original post), and so the only "compassionate" answer is to do more of it? Seriously?? Let's make life miserable for even MORE people because our intentions are good? Who are we really helping? them, or ourselves (to feel better)?

Except it was working until the major cuts took place in the 80s. When one party runs on a platform of breaking government, they don't then get to claim the programs they intentionally broke as evidence that government can't work.

The "cautious conservative" has long since been replaced by the "shut down everything conservative." They don't want to slow things down, they want to put it in reverse.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Obscene salaries

I'm fine with the market forces that reward entreprenuers for generating great value and adding jobs. I'm also fine with using salaries to attract talent to the places where the US needs it most...our top public officials.

Oil company execs make obscene salaries.........

http://www.watfordcitynd.com/?id=10&nid=2605

http://bismarcktribune.com/bakken/r...cle_39d0d08a-a948-11e3-8a3b-001a4bcf887a.html

I am not ok with industries that gain undue wealth with commoditized products in large part due to collusion...and just pay executives based on that.

 

[LynahFan]

Except it was working until the major cuts took place in the 80s. When one party runs on a platform of breaking government, they don't then get to claim the programs they intentionally broke as evidence that government can't work.

The "cautious conservative" has long since been replaced by the "shut down everything conservative." They don't want to slow things down, they want to put it in reverse.

...so THAT explains why our spending on social programs is at record low levels! Who knew that '80s conservatives were still secretly running the government?

 

[unofan]

...so THAT explains why our spending on social programs is at record low levels! Who knew that '80s conservatives were still secretly running the government?

Considering "welfare queen" (and its accompanying stereotypes) is still in the political lexicon 30 years later, you can't ignore its lasting influence, either.