Scandals lead execs to 'Atlas Shrugged'

USA Today ^ | 9/23/02 | Del Jones

[TomServo]

In these post-Enron days of corporate scandal, some of the millions of copies of Atlas Shrugged that have been sold over 45 years are being dusted off by executives under siege by prosecutors, regulators, Congress, employees, investors, a Republican president, even terrorists.

[Liberal Classic]

People deserve to be compensated relative to their worth to the organization. Do you comprehend the difference in responsibility between a CEO and a guy making minimum wage? One holds the entire company's future in his hands; the other has a minimal impact on the organization as a whole. Compensating somebody for his work -- and worth -- is moral. Screwing over employees and shareholders, on the other hand, is another story altogether. That's what happened in the Enron and Worldcom cases. My personal view is that shareholders should establish a CEO's salary. After all, they nominate board members. Executive compensation should not be dictated solely by the corporate board -- in the backroom. Let the people who reap the benefits (and costs) of a CEO's actions specify his or her salary.

Very well said.

[DAnconia55]

. He says he visits used bookstores to buy copies of Atlas Shrugged to give away.

I have a hardcover in excellent condition that I bought for $1.00 :)

[DAnconia55]

Before I get accused of being a liberal troll let me tell you I vote a straight republican ticket.

There's a difference?

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Here is a pic of my girl on the side, and another fine Dagny candidate -

[DAnconia55]

No, there aren't enough resources for everyone to become rich.

Actually there's a finite subset of an infinite universe full of resources...

We just have to go claim them.

[DAnconia55]

shareholders should establish a CEO's salary

Very well not said.

Shareholders already establish the CEO's salary. You don't think they just self appoint their salaries do you?

[DAnconia55]

shareholders should establish a CEO's salary

Very well not said.

Shareholders already establish the CEO's salary. You don't think they just self appoint their salaries do you?

[scoopscandal]

Stop! Yer killin' me!...my belly aches :-)

Regards,

[Liberal Classic]

In some companies the salaries of the top executives are set by the board, in others they are set by the shareholders. I was not commenting on this as much as the general sense that people should be paid what they are worth, not what some leftist thinks they're worth.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

What? you mean you're not believing my "Penthouse Letters" life?

Damn, and here I was going to regale everybody with tales form a couple of naked hottub parties Jeri and I have had with SMG. And we'll do that again tonight.

The Cuervo gold, the fine Columbian, make tonight a wonderful thing.

[scoopscandal]

***trying to keep a straight face***

[Chancellor Palpatine]

I can't believe you're not hanging on my every word.

I'm deeply wounded.

[tortoise]

I am for market driven salaries. It's just that the market in my field keeps dwindling due to reduction of industry here in the U.S. I surely don't want to leave the country and move to China just because there are lot of industrial plants there and could have my pick.

Ummm... The thing about the "market" is that you don't get to control it. If you don't like the opportunities available for you, get a different job or change your field of work. The problem is that too many people want to make lots of money doing exactly what they are doing now for the rest of forever.

Every person, no matter what they do, is a one-person business entity. They are not mere workers, like cogs in a communist machine. That means they have to plan for future market conditions and adapt to future market environments if they want to remain viable, just like every other business. Spending the effort to adapt yourself is an investment that is rewarded down the road with more money. I actually think the Gen-X and younger crowd are pretty comfortable with the idea of changing jobs a couple times a decade, often going into lines of work only loosely related to their last jobs, which is one of the things that keeps our economy competitive. Agility of the workforce is more important now than ever.

[scoopscandal]

Sorry...don't let me steal your dreams away...there's always hope!

Besides, from the few people that I have met in the entertainment industry...I'm sorry to say that the characters they play tend to be much more rounded than the actual person.

Regards,

[Bush2000]

Very well not said. Shareholders already establish the CEO's salary. You don't think they just self appoint their salaries do you?

Huh? Many, if not most, publicly traded companies have corporate boards that set the CEO's salary -- not shareholders.

[Dominic Harr]

John Galt went on strike from a collectively-managed company.

The 'looters' in Atlas were James Taggart and Taggart Transcontinental, Amalgamated Steel, etc, collectivists running colletively-managed corps who used their power to get the govt to help them prevent a free market.

This is the reason America is doomed. We don't even recognize who the enemy is anymore.

People defend the looters in the name of Atlas Shrugged. How ironic is that?

[Misterioso]

The film version of Atlas Shrugged has been in movie/TV turnaround for so long that it's the Hollywood equivalent of fusion power and picturephones -- always "someday."

I wonder why?

Atlas Shrugged is beyond blockbuster as a novel, so there has to be a reason why, in 40 years, it hasn't been brought to the screen. Let's see. Could it be that the "sacred cow harvest" it offers might be a little too much for the Hollywood left? It's the elephant in-the-room they are avoiding at all costs. "Hey guys, let's re-make 'Water World,' but make it a comedy! Maybe it'll work this time."

[meadsjn]

Whether you get flamed or not, you're correct. A service-based economy is, at it's core, an economy based on prostitution and gambling -- personal services and financial services.

Most of the wealth goes outside, to bring in goods no longer produced here. The wealth remaining inside diminishes as it circulates among the players at the poker table and the brothel.

Perhaps my analogy is disgusting; but then, so is treason.

[Misterioso]

If I buy a Japanese-built car, how is my wealth diminished? If my home is built with Japanese lumber by Mexican nationals, how is my wealth diminished? Just two examples for you to ponder.