Thursday, April 2, 2009

This amazes me...

I'm having a hard time handling the fact that our economy is teetering on the edge of a rock-infested cliff and one raindrop from the sky, on either side of center, would be enough to save it or send it to it's death below. I feel like I have to trust our POTUS...at least until he screws the pooch to the point of never deserving my trust again.

But I have to admit that I'm a little stunned by the recent firing of the GM CEO. Not that I'm not all for a clean house at the top - but because our POTUS did the firing. It was a clear message that the government is in charge - not big business. He has the people behind him, screaming for more changes to come.

This is my questions, however. How can you fire the CEO of a domestic automaker who came to the federal government asking for a loan, not a bailout, but not evoke circumstances on the Wall Street executives who have squandered more capital than we could even imagine. Let's spread the pink-slip wealth, Mr. Obama. You need to prove to the American people that you have the balls to step on all kinds, shapes and colors of toes.

As a side conversation to the GM situation, I was having a conversation with my in-laws last weekend about the ratio between worker and CEO salary in this country. Here's the list, for those of you who like to walk around with useless numerical lists in your head.

Ratio of CEO pay to average worker pay, by country:
Japan 11:1
Germany 12:1
France 15:1
Italy 20:1
Canada 20:1
South Africa 21:1
Britain 22:1
Hong Kong 41:1
Mexico 47:1
Venezuela 50:1
United States 475:1

Makes you wonder how we let things get so out of control, doesn't it. My story goes like this: "Once upon a time, there was an actor from California who was elected to the Presidency of the United States..."