[Michael G.]

My son is a VP at one of our local banks.

All of those "up-scale" mucky-mucky bean counts that sign on at banks, have an enclosure in their contracts
that when they leave the bank for any reason, their incentives pay them more to leave then they make working.

Imagine that?

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

That's probably correct for US football, baseball, and basketball. I'm not sure about soccer? But, pro tennis players and golfers probably have careers longer than 10 years on average.

And they get paid only if they win...

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

However do you really think the govt would do a better job spending their money via taxes than rich people making investments and providing jobs? Rich people do not keep their money under their mattress.

Yes of course the US government would do a better job of spending money than the rich 1% does. In Miami night clubs the sons and daughters of RICH 1% ers try to outdo each other as to who has more money by throwing glasses of wine at $400/ glass over their shoulders. That was a story in the Miami Newspapers and throughout the US several years ago. Many in TV Land MAY remember that story. And Jeff Bezos needed to enlarge his ALREADY obnoxiously large yacht so his wife could land her obnoxiously expensive helicopter on that STATUS SYMBOL. Status symbols and showing off POWER and wealth are what they are ALL about now. They don't NEED that extra wealth as much as you and I need better roads, hospitals, airports (US is outdated), Police, good PUBLIC schools (like we had in the 1950s), bridges, affordable Universities, vocational education, other infrastructure, and many other improvements.

Why were all these things better in the 1950s and 1960s.....ask yourself ? There were no Bezos and Zuckerbergs then Jack Welsh was a piker in comparison to today - vampire squids sucking the middle class away. Because the tax system was progressive meaning higher rates for the higher earners - the potential vampire squids of America.

And super rich business people like Bezos and Zuckerberg are similar to OVERPAID athletes. ASk why? Same, same answer ........the tax brackets mean EVERYTHING. Now some athletes may be wonderful people and give back. And some CEOs may be wonderful people - like Warren Buffet. But, for many their richness drives them to be vampire squids - they go power and greed crazy. It's all caused by the moving of the tax system from progressive to practically FLAT from around 1975 to today! Look at what Putin's tax bracket is .....he pays ZERO and robs from his government! And you know what that US tax system change from 1950 to today is the same as a change from democracy TOWARD Dictatorship. Sports paydays are just a reflection of those changes. When Bill Russel played for the Celtics in 1960, he did not make a ton of money compared to today. The sports MONEY drifted upward from the middle-class sports players to the uber-wealthy pro sport athletes of today. Sport and society.....it is ALL the same.

[Kenswing]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

Yes of course the US government would do a better job of spending money than the rich 1% does. In Miami night clubs the sons and daughters of RICH 1% ers try to outdo each other as to who has more money by throwing glasses of wine at $400/ glass over their shoulders. That was a story in the Miami Newspapers and throughout the US several years ago. Many in TV Land MAY remember that story. And Jeff Bezos needed to enlarge his ALREADY obnoxiously large yacht so his wife could land her obnoxiously expensive helicopter on that STATUS SYMBOL. Status symbols and showing off POWER and wealth are what they are ALL about now. They don't NEED that extra wealth as much as you and I need better roads, hospitals, airports (US is outdated), Police, good PUBLIC schools (like we had in the 1950s), bridges, affordable Universities, vocational education, other infrastructure, and many other improvements.

Why were all these things better in the 1950s and 1960s.....ask yourself ? There were no Bezos and Zuckerbergs then Jack Welsh was a piker in comparison to today - vampire squids sucking the middle class away. Because the tax system was progressive meaning higher rates for the higher earners - the potential vampire squids of America.

And super rich business people like Bezos and Zuckerberg are similar to OVERPAID athletes. ASk why? Same, same answer ........the tax brackets mean EVERYTHING. Now some athletes may be wonderful people and give back. And some CEOs may be wonderful people - like Warren Buffet. But, for many their richness drives them to be vampire squids - they go power and greed crazy. It's all caused by the moving of the tax system from progressive to practically FLAT from around 1975 to today! Look at what Putin's tax bracket is .....he pays ZERO and robs from his government! And you know what that US tax system change from 1950 to today is the same as a change from democracy TOWARD Dictatorship. Sports paydays are just a reflection of those changes. When Bill Russel played for the Celtics in 1960, he did not make a ton of money compared to today. The sports MONEY drifted upward from the middle-class sports players to the uber-wealthy pro sport athletes of today. Sport and society.....it is ALL the same.

I guess you never heard of guys like Rockefeller, DuPont, Carnegie, Vanderbilt, Morgan, etc. They defined what wealthy and powerful is.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

I guess you never heard of guys like Rockefeller, DuPont, Carnegie, Vanderbilt, Morgan, etc. They defined what wealthy and powerful is.

I believe that a lot of the generosity and charity of those famous historic wealthy individuals came about because of pressure from the tax system. Carnegie, likely had a choice between paying taxes to the Federal Government or giving money to a library system and a University. It's like a choice between giving money locally or to the whole nation. He probably gave locally for many reasons - one of which would be that his name would be on many buildings in his local area. The highest tax bracket that he was in may ? have been partly responsible for his generosity. I would think that this is an example of good laws (tax laws) nudging citizens in the RIGHT direction.

I am NOT a gifted Historian and I have no way to be sure just what was the relationship of those "Captains of US Industry" and the existing tax law of that era. I would IMAGINE that there was an effect. There seems to be some high level Historians here in TV Land, so maybe they could render a further clarification of that question?

I appreciate your interesting comments on America's great "Industry Captains.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

I believe that a lot of the generosity and charity of those famous historic wealthy individuals came about because of pressure from the tax system. Carnegie, likely had a choice between paying taxes to the Federal Government or giving money to a library system and a University. It's like a choice between giving money locally or to the whole nation. He probably gave locally for many reasons - one of which would be that his name would be on many buildings in his local area. The highest tax bracket that he was in may ? have been partly responsible for his generosity. I would think that this is an example of good laws (tax laws) nudging citizens in the RIGHT direction.

I am NOT a gifted Historian and I have no way to be sure just what was the relationship of those "Captains of US Industry" and the existing tax law of that era. I would IMAGINE that there was an effect. There seems to be some high level Historians here in TV Land, so maybe they could render a further clarification of that question?

I appreciate your interesting comments on America's great "Industry Captains.

Those "Captains of Industry" had another name... "Robber Barons"...

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

Yes of course the US government would do a better job of spending money than the rich 1% does. In Miami night clubs the sons and daughters of RICH 1% ers try to outdo each other as to who has more money by throwing glasses of wine at $400/ glass over their shoulders. That was a story in the Miami Newspapers and throughout the US several years ago. Many in TV Land MAY remember that story. And Jeff Bezos needed to enlarge his ALREADY obnoxiously large yacht so his wife could land her obnoxiously expensive helicopter on that STATUS SYMBOL. Status symbols and showing off POWER and wealth are what they are ALL about now. They don't NEED that extra wealth as much as you and I need better roads, hospitals, airports (US is outdated), Police, good PUBLIC schools (like we had in the 1950s), bridges, affordable Universities, vocational education, other infrastructure, and many other improvements.

Why were all these things better in the 1950s and 1960s.....ask yourself ? There were no Bezos and Zuckerbergs then Jack Welsh was a piker in comparison to today - vampire squids sucking the middle class away. Because the tax system was progressive meaning higher rates for the higher earners - the potential vampire squids of America.

And super rich business people like Bezos and Zuckerberg are similar to OVERPAID athletes. ASk why? Same, same answer ........the tax brackets mean EVERYTHING. Now some athletes may be wonderful people and give back. And some CEOs may be wonderful people - like Warren Buffet. But, for many their richness drives them to be vampire squids - they go power and greed crazy. It's all caused by the moving of the tax system from progressive to practically FLAT from around 1975 to today! Look at what Putin's tax bracket is .....he pays ZERO and robs from his government! And you know what that US tax system change from 1950 to today is the same as a change from democracy TOWARD Dictatorship. Sports paydays are just a reflection of those changes. When Bill Russel played for the Celtics in 1960, he did not make a ton of money compared to today. The sports MONEY drifted upward from the middle-class sports players to the uber-wealthy pro sport athletes of today. Sport and society.....it is ALL the same.

Guess I have to repeat myself. These rich people buy stuff and invest in business that provide lots of jobs. Govt brings new meaning to inefficient spending and waste.

[Worldseries27]

Originally Posted by jmintzer

lord knows that the sec (south east conference) of college football has no rabid fans...

They all must be out doing other things...

southern weather didn't prevent rabid raider fans from venting their rage at opposing team fans

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by jebartle

Where does it end??? A surgeon saves lives and makes peanuts compared to professional sports.... Our values are "out of whack "

Fashion models make huge money for what?
I understand the "whys" and "wherefores" of compensation, but I don't always agree when it seems over the top excessive.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by fdpaq0580

Fashion models make huge money for what?
I understand the "whys" and "wherefores" of compensation, but I don't always agree when it seems over the top excessive.

Models make huge salaries as the companies that sell the stuff think that when the model wears their clothes or endorses them they will sell more.

Otherwise they would not get paid what they do.

[OhioBuckeye]

You’re exactly right!

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

Models make huge salaries as the companies that sell the stuff think that when the model wears their clothes or endorses them they will sell more.

Otherwise they would not get paid what they do.

I understand that. I just think that, in some instances, compensation is excessive. One pretty woman in a dress shouldn't make the dress more attractive than if another pretty woman wore it. Just my opinion.

[Rapscallion St Croix]

Sports generates $$. The highest paid public employees in 40 of the 50 states are college coaches. There is a reason for that.
Surgeons saving lives by putting saline bags in boobs probably went to a school where the football team subsidized the medical school.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

Models make huge salaries as the companies that sell the stuff think that when the model wears their clothes or endorses them they will sell more.

Otherwise they would not get paid what they do.

Yup, Gisele Bundchen, Tom Brady’s supermodel wife, has more career earnings than the greatest football player ever.

[Boston-Sean]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

And they get paid only if they win...

Pretty sure everyone who makes the cut gets a paycheck. Some a very big paycheck.