Making CEOs Look Greedy, Government Style

THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE Commission, one of those big government agencies which overseas, regulates, and otherwise interferes with the business of America, which is business, has a new rule; upon request, all publicly owned corporations must provide the S.E.C. with the following information: CEO compensation, average employee compensation, and the difference between the two, in other words must state how many times more money the CEO makes than the average worker. This rule is only a couple of years old, and seems likely to be repealed when a republican president, heaven forbid, next takes office. The reason for the law seems unclear, in terms of what it actually accomplishes; corporation CEOs have accused the SEC of merely wanting to embarrass corporate executives, while spokespeople for the SEC have basically admitted that this is indeed the reason. If you didn't know better, you'd almost swear that a gang of wacko liberal socialistic economic equality fanatics have taken control of our federal financial regulatory system, but alas, no, nothing like that has happened. Overall, America's billionaires are as unrestricted as ever, able to run amok, controlling the economy and the American political system. Obama has done little or nothing to prevent this oligarchy from running roughshod over the U.S. economy. Since Ronald Reagan, government regulation has been almost nonexistent; it may be that the pendulum is beginning to swing the other way, as one corporate caused financial crises after another damages the economy. IN most advanced countries CEOs make from five times to fifty times as much as workers; in the United States, the difference is hundreds of times. Poor old backwards America. Well, if we can't make 'em pay their fair share of taxes, we can at least try to make 'em feel guilty! It probably won't work.