Too Much?


bytor2112
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I often read comments slamming CEO compensation and greedy Corporations. What about the ridiculous money made by others....like:

1. Harrison Ford — $65 million

2. Adam Sandler — $55 million

3. Will Smith — $45 million

4. Eddie Murphy — $40 million

5. Nicolas Cage — $40 million

6. Tom Hanks –$35 million

7. Tom Cruise — $30 million

8. Jim Carrey — $28 million

9. Brad Pitt — $28 million

10. Johnny Depp — $27 million

or

1. Madonna – $110 million

2. Beyonce Knowles – $87 million

3. Coldplay – $70 million

4. Bruce Springsteen – $70 million

5. Kenny Chesney – $65 million

6. Rascal Flatts – $60 million

7. AC/DC – $60 million

8. Toby Keith – $52 million

9. Bon Jovi – $50 million

10. Brittney Spears – $35 million

Make you crazy? We could throw in athletes as well. But the point is, I think, that CEO's often get a bad rap and these other yahoos get a pass......considering much of what they produce is worthless dribble.

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I would never slam a CEO for getting paid a lot of money.

I would slam them for getting a lot of money if the government gave their company a bailout because it was failing. After all, I wouldn't expect the government to bail out a Bon Jovi concert tour and pay them a ridiculous amount of money.

I wouldn't expect you to FT, but many do. CEO's are often characterized as greedy and heartless, yet, rarely do I ever hear those finding fault with 'big" business, do the same with "entertainers" or the "big" businesses that produce the "entertainment".

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Exactly. and for the MOST part these guys work hard to protect the company and make the stockholders money, creating wealth for them and for their employees by giving them jobs, etc. Although I believe entertainers and sports people provide a valuable respite from life's problems, let's be honest. These guys are paid to either 1)read other people's thoughts, 2) play a boy's game, or 3) sing/dance. But somehow these guys aren't greedy, they are doing it for 'love' of their profession, not for the money...

Uhhh huhhhh. And I go work in the dump that I do because I feel so GOOD afterwards....

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It's we as consumers that help them make that kind of money. If you'd like to lower their annual salaries; quit going to their movies, quit going to their concerts, quit buying their dvds and cds, quit downloading from I Tunes.

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I wouldn't expect you to FT, but many do. CEO's are often characterized as greedy and heartless, yet, rarely do I ever hear those finding fault with 'big" business, do the same with "entertainers" or the "big" businesses that produce the "entertainment".

That is because 1) they are not in the news and 2) their business practices of greed haven't directly tanked our economy like those in the financial markets.

I hate overpaid athletes and over-sensationalized actors too. I am so sick of Brad Pitt and that girl he married! And I don't buy their movies or patronize their ball games. I am making a statement.

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I agree, but I also think that the good that a lot of these individuals do go unnoticed. Like Beyonce supports Second Harvest and Love Our Children USA to name a few. Also I know that Harrison Ford has personally assisted Teton County Wyoming in searches with his personal helicopter.

Edited by lestertheemt
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Frankly, I don't believe any one person, CEO or movie star, "deserves" that disproportionate of an amount of resources. It gets to the point where you're just making more money for the sake of having more and more money. I know that some people use their wealth and influence to really try to make the world better, but that seems to be a very small percent of the ridiculously wealthy.

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Frankly, I don't believe any one person, CEO or movie star, "deserves" that disproportionate of an amount of resources. It gets to the point where you're just making more money for the sake of having more and more money. I know that some people use their wealth and influence to really try to make the world better, but that seems to be a very small percent of the ridiculously wealthy.

I agree...no one "deserves", but I am okay if they "earn" it. It is astounding that they earn so much for doing so little.

Edited by bytor2112
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I know that some people use their wealth and influence to really try to make the world better, but that seems to be a very small percent of the ridiculously wealthy.

Really? How do you know that? I don't think we are kept informed for every single dollar that is donated to charity by someone. We certainly can find out alot of charitable donations by a famous person, but I'm not sure how many people actually do that.

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I agree...no one "deserves", but I am okay if they "earn" it. It is astounding that they earn so much for doing so little.

The problem is that I don't think there is anything that someone could possibly do to be deserving of that much money. Perhaps if they singlehandedly cured cancer or made some other tremendous positive impact on society, I would concede they would have earned ridiculous amounts of money, but being able to get on stage and pretend you are someone else really well, or making the next catchy tune or doing whatever it is that a CEO does... those things just don't seem to have thousands of times more value to society than a person who works their butt off at 2 near minimum wage jobs just to survive.

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I'm concerned that some CEO's bonuses are being paid with taxpayer dollars. But I say, let 'em keep the bonuses, and let us get out of the business of subsidizing failure.

They didn't get any taxpayer money. All your taxes were already spent before the "stimulus" happened. They got paid in imaginary money our government printed in the form of new debt.

Those "bonuses" that got paid were already stipulated in contracts that the government knew about before the money was handed out. The stimulus bills had text in them that specifically covered those bonuses. After they were paid the government and media used that topic to once again assault capitalism and private business and demonize them to the people.

There aren't many people who can successfully run a major corporation. If you want to drive out the ones who do then not paying them what they're worth is a great way to turn some other nation into the economic capital of the world after they leave the USA.

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There are quite a few celebrities that help support causes and organizations.

Here are some examples:

Sandra Bullock - American Red Cross

Nicholas Cage - Chrysalis

Jackie Chan - The Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation

Celine Dion - Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Angelina Jolie - The United Nations Refugee Agency

Paul McCartney - Adopt a Minefield

Arnold Schwartzenegger - Special Olympics

Stephen Spielberg - Righteous Persons Foundation, Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation

Oprah Winfrey - The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, Oprah's Angel Network

Jessica Simpson - International Youth Ambassador for Operation Smile

Jon Bon Jovi - Habitat for Humanity

Michael J. Fox - Activist for Parkinson's Disease

Jerry Lewis - Muscular Dystrophy

Elton John - Aids

Jay-Z - Education, UN's Water for Life

Isaiah Washington - Narcolepsy Foundation

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Haha, digital, you got me on that...the word "seems" makes a difference.

The problem is that I don't think there is anything that someone could possibly do to be deserving of that much money. Perhaps if they singlehandedly cured cancer or made some other tremendous positive impact on society, I would concede they would have earned ridiculous amounts of money, but being able to get on stage and pretend you are someone else really well, or making the next catchy tune or doing whatever it is that a CEO does... those things just don't seem to have thousands of times more value to society than a person who works their butt off at 2 near minimum wage jobs just to survive.

I disagree with this statement, but I'm not sure why. I think it's because I believe in capitalism. There is something so very American about being able to start with nothing and then rise to such power and affluency. My understanding of capitalism would not place limits on someone's ability to earn as much as they can (and more than they could ever hope to spend in a lifetime).

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The problem is that I don't think there is anything that someone could possibly do to be deserving of that much money. Perhaps if they singlehandedly cured cancer or made some other tremendous positive impact on society, I would concede they would have earned ridiculous amounts of money, but being able to get on stage and pretend you are someone else really well, or making the next catchy tune or doing whatever it is that a CEO does... those things just don't seem to have thousands of times more value to society than a person who works their butt off at 2 near minimum wage jobs just to survive.

Some people are just smarter and more gifted and more marketable.......and just down right more lucky!;)

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Haha, digital, you got me on that...the word "seems" makes a difference.

I disagree with this statement, but I'm not sure why. I think it's because I believe in capitalism. There is something so very American about being able to start with nothing and then rise to such power and affluency. My understanding of capitalism would not place limits on someone's ability to earn as much as they can (and more than they could ever hope to spend in a lifetime).

The only parts of this scenerio that are American is when someone rises ethically. At this point, I am wondering if such is possible as the most "successful" amongst us seem the most corrupt.

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