That is so capitalist of you. Can't we all just contribute in whatever way we want? From each according to our ability, to each according to our need? That's what Obama stands for, and ObamaCare is a step in that direction because it frees so many people from "job lock" where they have to deliver value that can be measured with money.
Having been in engineering and or technology for 30+ years the pay is totally out of whack. What HR dept’s are good at is raising the starting salaries to be inline with inflation. But the CURRENT employees never get a cola. So after about five years you make the same as someone starting new. So the only way to get a raise is to find a new job and quit. This causes a drain on corporate knowledge and undo stress.