Squeezing the Bottom

No! No. Get your mind out of my gutter. Its not going to be that kind of article. It will not have salacious details of bottom squeezing, so don't let the imaginations run rampant in that direction. Fact is, the business community has always preached a line that squeezes the people at the bottom of the economic heap.
In this particular case, when I talk about the bottom I mean those of us who have not yet achieved millionaire status or those of us who are not comfortably well off due to inheritances or investments and never really have to work for the rest of our lives.
I am talking about those of us who don't have stock options worth millions, who don't have golden parachute retirement options, yachts, properties on different continents or have tax-lawyers we pay a small fortune to in order that we may keep track of our wealth.

I am talking about those of us who have seen our working conditions and our numbers decline over the years and who continue to be squeezed in order to make business more competitive.
The latest tactic in squeezing the bottom is comparing our wages to those earned by workers in China.
Did you notice that is our wages that are being compared while the wages of those at the top are never mentioned let alone considered? While they always want to squeeze the bottom, they never mention the top. In an article in the U.K.s Sunday Times on April 16 2006; Sarah Baxter from Washington wrote;
EVER since the soap opera Dallas, the exploits of Texas oilmen have fascinated America. But the disclosure that one of oils most powerful figures earned $144,000 (£82,000) a day, £57 a minute for his time at the helm of the worlds biggest oil company, has prompted a row about whether corporate fat cattery has been taken to new heights.
Lee R Raymond, the recently retired chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil owners of the Esso chain in Britain was paid more than £391m from 1993 to 2005, according to figures released last week. It dwarfs the salaries of other high earners in the oil business. Last year alone he made more than £228m.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2136358,00.html

My argument here is that we must stop squeezing the bottom and start pinching the top!!

Here are a few suggestions that should be put into the manifestos of all corporations;

1) Only one (1) mansion per executive, per country/continent.
2) Just one yacht per executive
3) Restore inheritance taxes.
4) A top exec to make only 10 or 20 times more than the lowest paid worker in the corporation.
5) Pay for own golf memberships.
6) Limo "yes"!
7) Lear jet "No"!
8) No bonus for laying off workers.
9) Executive salaries to be compared to Chinese executive salaries.
10) Executive salary adjustments to be made after comparison.

This is a very incomplete list, a short list, one that I am sure our members can add to. Its an argument that is long overdue and one that I hope will take root, because squeezing the bottom has not yet macompetitivecompetetive. We have got to have some sacrifices from the top.

It being Spring, it would make sense to have a horticultural analogy.
Gardeners will tell you that when the top of a plant has been pinched, the rest of the plant fills out vigourously and produces bountifully.