Free Republic

Kevin Phillips's new book, "Wealth and Democracy," is a 422-page doorstopper, but much of the book's message is contained in one stunning table. That table, in the middle of a chapter titled "Millennial Plutographics," reports the compensation of America's 10 most highly paid C.E.O.'s in 1981, 1988 and 2000. In 1981 those captains of industry were paid an average of $3.5 million, which seemed like a lot at the time. By 1988 the average had soared to $19.3 million, which seemed outrageous. But by 2000 the average annual pay of the top 10 was $154 million. It's true that wages...

Would the posting police, in advance, give me a break for this vanity. I've been around here long enough to know how things work, but I simply could not get the response posting under general that I may get here.

We need some advice from any money experts. My mother-in-law, an 86 year old widow who has lived alone for 25+ years, just received a check for $41,000 from the estate of her departed sister.My MIL receives a small social security check, a small pension from her husband's employer, and some aid from the state (PA) in the way of food stamps and heating assistance. Through the years, she has flat refused to let us help her with any expenses. We have tried to pay her electric bill, property taxes, phone, you name it. I have to admire her independence.Here's...