[Colonol Dekker]

Nine times out of ten in media and commercial sectors it's an old boys club in mid-level management to executive level, a case of not what, but who you know being critical to role placement and progression.

[Mars]

What you get paid is pretty much based on your skillset. Duh!

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic.

If not, in that case, shouldn't pay be DIRECTLY proportional to education?

And what exactly do CEOs do that's so rare and irreplaceable that 10 million a year is in order?

[Kosh]

Oh, do shutup.  I'm not a servant of the federal government or the President, I'm a servant of the people of the United States of America and the Constitution. I'm a citizen of the United States of America first, and an Airman second. I enjoy my benefits: free undergraduate education, free healthcare, and the government controlling the APR on my credit cards. It's only fair that the rest of the US be granted the same liberties.

Next time you try to talk down an American servicemember and dare say the people he volunteered to serve with his life don't deserve the same standard of living as him simply because they're not "employees of the federal government", think twice. Think long and hard. Has your argument against healthcare reform really sunk that low? 

Pwn3d!

In all seriousness, people like Kristol and Spardason forget that without your average joe, there really would be nothing for the servicemen/women to defend.

[Liberator]

And what exactly do CEOs do that's so rare and irreplaceable that 10 million a year is in order?

Manage a Multi-Billion Dollar corporation and make deals with other companies that are worth billions?  Give up the freedoms that you take for granted like going to the pub or taking a girl to a movie?

[General Battuta]

They get their positions as much through networking, politics, and old-boy favoritism as through qualifications.

They 'give up' those freedoms in exchange for freedoms like private jets, near-immunity from prosecution, massive political influence, and basically the ability to do whatever the hell they want.

Plus, way to invoke the male gender prototype for CEOs there (accurate as it may unfortunately be). I'm sure Kraft Foods would be pleased.

[iamzack]

I think the President has a bit of a harder job that CEOs. Why do they make many times what he does, then?

[Flipside]

And what exactly do CEOs do that's so rare and irreplaceable that 10 million a year is in order?

Manage a Multi-Billion Dollar corporation and make deals with other companies that are worth billions?  Give up the freedoms that you take for granted like going to the pub or taking a girl to a movie?

Yup, multi-milionaires are well known for not having party lifestyles.

And the truth is, they don't actually do any of the work in mergers and deals, they'll talk the deal, but then it's on to 'the little people' to sort out the details, the lawyers and finance people.

Better still, it's usually not their money they are risking, and even if they screw up, they can look forward to a multi-million dollar handshake, so, personally, I think that sort of job is probably one of the most over-rated skill-sets out there.

[High Max]

And what exactly do CEOs do that's so rare and irreplaceable that 10 million a year is in order?

Give up the freedoms that you take for granted like going to the pub or taking a girl to a movie?

Pretty much every country has those basic freedoms. Funny thing about many people in USA is they have this false view thinking every country except USA is poor and starving and bad off. Maybe countries in Africa and in the middle east are often like that, but most other places in the world, especially these days, have the tech people have here (internet, cars, etc) and in many ways are better than here, especially when it comes to kindness, on average. Certain countries having their culture based on being friendly to others, unlike here. Look at Vietnam. They have Wifi and nice cars. See? Also, many technologies that USA has are copied from other countries, like fireworks, guns, etc. It's not like these other countries are all copying the USA. It works both ways. Funny so many people here think that everyone is copying USA. Heck, a primitive stony form of a grenade was invented 2000 years ago by Rome, I believe.

In all seriousness, people like Kristol and Spardason forget that without your average joe, there really would be nothing for the servicemen/women to defend.

Not to mention without the average joe, you wouldn't have food, wood, or resources since people like farmers and resource gatherers and the ones who process those materials are actually the backbone of society and if one thinks about it, the most important.

@iamzack: These CEO's probably make so much because they are greedy and cheat to get what they want. Like that story I recently heard about of this billionair leader of a corporation getting sentenced to about 150 years in prison for causing many people to have no money. Forgot the detailed story though.

Edit: I think this is it. I just did a search and I read a little about this about a month ago: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aMJBEKJP6kz8

[Scotty]

These CEO's probably make so much because they are greedy and cheat to get what they want.

Don't you just love generalizations?  I know I do.

As for the rest of your post:  /Anti-threadjack.

I think the President has a bit of a harder job that CEOs. Why do they make many times what he does, then?

If he has a harder job, it's only because he has to oversee a larger body, with a few extra sets of issues.  A CEO sets the strategy, etc., etc., just like the President.  You never hear people *****ing about the President not having much to do.  As for the second part, because the United States government seems to not be a for-profit organization (at least, not for the last decade or so).

[General Battuta]

So, in other words, they get paid for reasons completely unrelated to their responsibilities?

I mean, if the president doesn't deserve a lot of money for that kind of decisions, why do CEOs?

[SpardaSon21]

The President shouldn't be President because of the paycheck, he should be President because he wants to serve his country.  A CEO on the other hand, well a CEO's goal is to make money for a company, and the company rewards him by giving him a few spare piles of cash every month.

[Spicious]

Why do CEOs still get paid piles of cash when they utterly **** up then?

[General Battuta]

The President shouldn't be President because of the paycheck, he should be President because he wants to serve his country.  A CEO on the other hand, well a CEO's goal is to make money for a company, and the company rewards him by giving him a few spare piles of cash every month.

If you take even the slightest gander at the amount of money CEOs receive in various circumstances (including absolute failure), you will see that this is not remotely true.

The real world is not Atlas Shrugged.

[High Max]

A CEO on the other hand, well a CEO's goal is to make money for a company

Or mostly just himself but lets the company get some in order to keep it alive so he can get even more. It is sad how they seem to treat employees as expendable and easily replaced. Lack of compassion, it seems.

and the company rewards him by giving him a few spare piles of cash every month.

You talk as if he only receives pocket change. It isn't just a few spare piles of cash if they are getting millions. Maybe your dad is a CEO or maybe you talk like this because you are a rich boy?

[Scotty]

A CEO on the other hand, well a CEO's goal is to make money for a company

Or mostly just himself.

and the company rewards him by giving him a few spare piles of cash every month.

You talk as if he only receives pocket change. It isn't just a few spare piles of cash if they are getting millions. Maybe your dad is a CEO or maybe you talk like this because you are a rich boy?

First:  The two are not mutually exlusive.  The more money the company makes, the more money he makes.  It's a powerful incentive.  And before you get all holier-than-thou about greed, remember that wanting more possessions is perfectly natural.  It is not, in and of itself, evil.

Second:  Comment uncalled for.

[High Max]

A CEO on the other hand, well a CEO's goal is to make money for a company

Or mostly just himself.

and the company rewards him by giving him a few spare piles of cash every month.

You talk as if he only receives pocket change. It isn't just a few spare piles of cash if they are getting millions. Maybe your dad is a CEO or maybe you talk like this because you are a rich boy?

First:  The two are not mutually exlusive.  The more money the company makes, the more money he makes.  It's a powerful incentive.  And before you get all holier-than-thou about greed, remember that wanting more possessions is perfectly natural.  It is not, in and of itself, evil.

Second:  Comment uncalled for.

That's just your opinion. I'm sure you have left many comments on HLP that could be considered uncalled for.

Remember that wanting too much is selfish. Plus, one could say it is natural to steal or never share, but it is seen as bad. Stealing would just be a different kind of selfishness.

[Scotty]

Remember that wanting too much is selfish.

Not true.  From the online Webster's:
1 : concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others
2 : arising from concern with one's own welfare or advantage in disregard of others <a selfish act>

Ayn Rand has a quote (can't find at the moment) that deals with that.  Before someone goes off on the Ayn Rand tangent, a broken clock is still right two times a day.  I think this is one of them.  I'll look for it.

However, none of this is the point.  We were talking about healthcare.

[iamzack]

I just disagree that only making $10 million instead of $100 million will cause people to decide to just not make ANY money, or something stupid like that. I also disagree that it's something anyone should ***** about. Once you are making tens of millions of dollars, wtf is the difference when you have to pay millions in taxes? No one's advocating a 90% tax rate for anybody, I'm just saying that even if the tax rate was that high, you're making so much money that you're ridiculously wealthy even after 90% of it goes to taxes. That is, cry me a river, and then build me a solid gold, diamond-encrusted bridge, and get over it.

[Kosh]

And what exactly do CEOs do that's so rare and irreplaceable that 10 million a year is in order?

Manage a Multi-Billion Dollar corporation and make deals with other companies that are worth billions? 

Again, what about the ones who destroy their companies and walk away with tens of millions of dollars in golden parachutes?

[Turambar]

And what exactly do CEOs do that's so rare and irreplaceable that 10 million a year is in order?

Manage a Multi-Billion Dollar corporation and make deals with other companies that are worth billions? 

Again, what about the ones who destroy their companies and walk away with tens of millions of dollars in golden parachutes?

He doesn't care because he wishes that'll be him someday.