why

[Hipparchia]

It just means that it's hard to reward everyone in a big organization or anyone with rare skills. At a software company,for instance, the programming engineers may make that or close to that, so how do you pay their managers and their bosses and ultimately the CEO?

Why would anyone start companies that pay people high salaries and then the person who owns the company pretty much makes the same amount? Who would become a surgeon?

You appear to think that the only motivation to work is for money and that, if the money is judged insufficient minimum effort will be applied. Are you serious?

 

[Seattle]

You appear to think that the only motivation to work is for money and that, if the money is judged insufficient minimum effort will be applied. Are you serious?

Are you serious?

 

[Hipparchia]

Are you serious?

Certainly. Your comments leave little other interpretation than tht you hold the cynical belief that money is the only motivator for work. It's not a very informed or thoughtful viewpoint, so I wanted to establish whether you really held it, or were being obtusely ironic. Sadly it seems irony was far from your thoughts.

 

[Seattle]

Certainly. Your comments leave little other interpretation than tht you hold the cynical belief that money is the only motivator for work. It's not a very informed or thoughtful viewpoint, so I wanted to establish whether you really held it, or were being obtusely ironic. Sadly it seems irony was far from your thoughts.

Money is not the only motivator for work but it is necessary to most people to work as hard at their jobs.

I know hard working Scandinavians but when November comes around and they have gotten to the highest marginal rates, they don't book much new business or spend as long at work for the rest of the year.

If you are a doctor, you still care about your patients obviously but you also care about whether you and continue to provide for your family. Many higher earning person move to the U.S. for that very reason. It's naive to think otherwise.

Of course nothing is black and white and this subject isn't either. What's new?

 

[billvon]

Today the top rate is close to 40%.

Yep. 37%.

I'd have no problem making that top rate 50%

That would be a step in the right direction, yes. I'd go with 70% myself.

but to be effective you're going to have to increase everyone's rate a bit

Absolutely no reason to do that.

and to reduce federal spending rather than the current spending levels with no regard to reality.

That's a separate issue but - yes, agreed.

 

[iceaura]

Do you serious think that once someone made over $300k or whatever the number was that they would just give up the other millions if they were in that situation?

They did, in the US. They also did in several European countries, with benefits including a one generation recovery from having been invaded and had their entire economy demolished.

They had a choice: Either fork over to the IRS or invest the return to capital in their business and supporting community, pay higher wages with it, etc. - taking advantage of the loopholes, see, which created great prosperity in the US and the foundation for much more (since squandered, of course).

 

[iceaura]

Nope. The graph speaks for itself.

Upon analysis the graph contradicts your assertion. It supports mine.

The first and what should be the easiest issue is that my claim - and therefore your assertion, if you are replying to me - is of hourly wages, and your graph is of household yearly incomes. The graph "speaks" of yearly household income. If you want to speak of hourly wages using that graph, you need to do some serious and detailed analysis - the graph only speaks for itself.

That exact blunder (the substitution of yearly household income for hourly job wages) has been dogging the rightwing posters here - especially the Reagan apologists - for years now. That is kind of strange, no?

 

[Hipparchia]

Of course nothing is black and white and this subject isn't either.

The it is a pity you chose to present your position as if it were. I hope you will benefit from this learning experience.

 

[billvon]

Money is not the only motivator for work but it is necessary to most people to work as hard at their jobs.

I know hard working Scandinavians but when November comes around and they have gotten to the highest marginal rates, they don't book much new business or spend as long at work for the rest of the year.

I do too. And they work their butts off in November and December (and January, and March etc.) That's so they can take off the entire summer, which is the one time it's really nice in that part of the world.