From: Damien Broderick (d.broderick@english.unimelb.edu.au)
Date: Sat Sep 01 2001 - 23:04:10 MDT
At 03:52 PM 9/1/01 -0700, Robert wrote:
>If Jack Welch earns $122 million where does it go?
>After 30-40% to the government, most of it probably goes
>into risk capital. I.e. into those funds providing the
>money Charlie would like to get from the VCs. Risky
>investments, but big payoffs. Jack gets richer and if
>Charlie's strategy works out he gets to join the Jack's
>ranks. On the other hand if you instead redirect the
>money to the worker, who then proceeds to use it to buy
>"Pet Rocks", there is relatively little job creation
>(providing jobs for people who would otherwise not
>have them), or making the economy more productive
>(by fostering inventions that increase efficiency).
I could be naughty and suggest that many of those pet rocks purchased by
the stupid, gullible dopes who do most of the work in the world have been
put into stores and heavily advertised under the guidance, or due to the
speculative investment, of the guy who got $122 million a year for doing
so, and that blasting up the pet rocks has denuded and blighted several
formerly ecologically complex portions of the world, ruining the lives of
those who used to live there moderately well, and that keeping the pet
rocks in the house releases a constant drizzle of carcinogenic but
addictive dust...
But I would never say anything so Luddish. :)
Damien Broderick
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