Current state of Wealth Distribution in the USA

[Stanley]

The person that decided to pay someone $1000 per hour obviously thought they were worth it. That's how the market works. If you can't find anyone to work for you at $5 per/hour you have to offer more until you find people that will do the work for that pay.

 

[Zemedici]

Again that's part of the problem, big business refuses to see profit margins take a hit no matter the size.

why should they take a hit so they can pay 'entry level' jobs more? The world is about making money, and if they can get away with a 25% margin, why shouldnt they?

 

[Zemedici]

balanced is a relative term, like the video says Socialism isn't the key, either. I do however feel, that there is a major opportunity to become far more balanced while staying leaps and bounds from socialism.


I don't think a 17 year old mixing shakes should make 20 bucks an hour. I also don't think anyone in the world is worth 1,000 per hour.

see what I stated above, its directly related to the income that is generated by their department/participation/etc. Some people are worth more because they generate more (actors, athletes,etc)

 

[Stanley]

Again that's part of the problem, big business refuses to see profit margins take a hit no matter the size.

Why is that a problem? Guess what, small businesses don't want to see their profit margins shrink either and if they have a product that is in demand and people will pay a little more for it then that is what it is worth.

 

[Zemedici]

Also, I've heard that I come off as rude/talking down to people, I assure you that is not the case. This is merely a friendly, adult discussion, nothing more. We can all learn from each other.

Did you PM treynor? :beer:

 

[kcsvt94l]

to make 'not as successful' people feel important it seems. Its all about the 'give me give me' mindset. :shrug: I'm 'young' by most of your standards and I dont have that mindset.



If wages went up with inflation/supply-demand, then the prices would go up that much further, because the products would cost that much more to make, you see?

Don't get me wrong, I personally am not complaining. I'm a small business owner myself with ~60 employees across 2 businesses, I don't have anyone making minimum wage even if it's their 1st job. I also am not the personally the highest paid employee in either company.

There is no "perfect" formula and it's not easy to find a solution, but do we not agree things can get better?

 

[Mach828]

It takes money to make more money. I could easily exponentially increase my wealth if I had a couple million to play with, but I don't. So its not surprising that the rich get richer, they can take advantage of business/investment opportunities that the middle class person never could. And if they didn't, then we wouldn't move forward and no one is better off.

For the rich people who have a unique talent, such as being an engineering VP, having that million dollar idea, or top sales guy who makes millions a year.....they deserve it. They have the necessary skills, education, ideas, and experience that can make a lot more money than they are getting paid.

As far as the celebs....you watch their shows, listen to their music, search the leaked nudes, or whatever...so the low/middle class all made them that way. People complain about their wealth but keep filling up their pockets.

 

[Stanley]

What do you mean by "get better"?

 

[kcsvt94l]

I'm opposed to basically all distribution of wealth, as in my tax dollars going to those who refuse to work. I can get on board with providing financial aid to the handicapped and to the military who actually paid a price, but outside of that I'm very much against it. Handouts breed laziness as we see now in our country's current state. I want my tax dollars to go to military, construction projects that create jobs, and research for medical and scientific advancement. There are more examples of course but basically there should be a flat tax or just a sales tax and that tax money should be used to build and expand, not allow lazy asses to do nothing for a paycheck every month. I firmly believe in 'you get what you work for'.

I agree 100%. I'm not fighting for the people who are capable to live a free ride, I too am completely against that. I'm fighting for the school teachers, LEO, Paramedic/EMT, Firefighters, Electricians, Plumbers, Auto Mechanics of the world. Where we as a society has decided that these jobs only have a ceiling of ~60,000 +/- per year.

 

[VRYALT3R3D]

Again that's part of the problem, big business refuses to see profit margins take a hit no matter the size.

If "big business" is forced to pay more per hour, they will just reduce the hours of that employee(s)

 

[Zemedici]

Don't get me wrong, I personally am not complaining. I'm a small business owner myself with ~60 employees across 2 businesses, I don't have anyone making minimum wage even if it's their 1st job. I also am not the personally the highest paid employee in either company.There is no "perfect" formula and it's not easy to find a solution, but do we not agree things can get better?

wait, what? The top person at the company does not make the highest pay?

 

[Zemedici]

It takes money to make more money. I could easily exponentially increase my wealth if I had a couple million to play with, but I don't. So its not surprising that the rich get richer, they can take advantage of business/investment opportunities that the middle class person never could. And if they didn't, then we wouldn't move forward and no one is better off.

For the rich people who have a unique talent, such as being an engineering VP, having that million dollar idea, or top sales guy who makes millions a year.....they deserve it. They have the necessary skills, education, ideas, and experience that can make a lot more money than they are getting paid.

As far as the celebs....you watch their shows, listen to their music, search the leaked nudes, or whatever...so the low/middle class all made them that way. People complain about their wealth but keep filling up their pockets.

bingo :beer:

 

[kcsvt94l]

Why is that a problem? Guess what, small businesses don't want to see their profit margins shrink either and if they have a product that is in demand and people will pay a little more for it then that is what it is worth.

I personally keep very small profit margins in my area compared to my competitors, it's worked quite well for me and it's provided my customers an equal if not better solution for less money. At the same time, I don't pay myself 6 figures or taking $50k bonuses at the end of the year.

 

[kcsvt94l]

wait, what? The top person at the company does not make the highest pay?

CEO/Founder of both companies right here. I have employee's that I pay better than myself, that's right. You heard it.

 

[Rdnckhoops]

I also don't think anyone in the world is worth 1,000 per hour.

My father has worked his entire adult life establishing a business that now employs well over 700 people. These employees earn roughly 65k-150k per year. Due to current market conditions for the last 3 years my father has not taken a penny from his business in order to keep the company afloat. I can assure you that, in the eyes of myself and the 700+ employees that work for him, he is worth $1,000 per hour and more.... It's effort and perseverance that makes a person successful and they should be praised for the hard work they put forth.

 

[Zemedici]

CEO/Founder of both companies right here. I have employee's that I pay better than myself, that's right. You heard it.

maybe this is part of the reason behind why you feel the way you feel. These employees are no doubt necessary to the success of the companies, however, without you, the companies as a whole would not be possible. Therefore you should pay yourself accordingly, you've seen the ladder models that explain this I'm sure.

Back to the profit margin idea, why do you think vertically integrated companies make so much money?

 

[kcsvt94l]

What do you mean by "get better"?

Increase the income ceiling for more "common" middle class jobs. Just as one example.

 

[Stanley]

I agree 100%. I'm not fighting for the people who are capable to live a free ride, I too am completely against that. I'm fighting for the school teachers, LEO, Paramedic/EMT, Firefighters, Electricians, Plumbers, Auto Mechanics of the world. Where we as a society has decided that these jobs only have a ceiling of ~60,000 +/- per year.

You think all of those jobs have a ceiling of ~$60,000 per year? If that's all you make as a mechanic at a dealership you either aren't very good at your job or you are at the wrong shop.

Again, if people will work for the wage then there isn't a reason to raise it.

 

[AustinSN]

I agree 100%. I'm not fighting for the people who are capable to live a free ride, I too am completely against that. I'm fighting for the school teachers, LEO, Paramedic/EMT, Firefighters, Electricians, Plumbers, Auto Mechanics of the world. Where we as a society has decided that these jobs only have a ceiling of ~60,000 +/- per year.

A lot of those positions make more than that.. My techs when I was working at honda were knocking down close to 80k a year, before they had made a change to drop prices on services the master techs were making over 100k.

And a certified journeyman electrician will walk into a 60k a year job with no problem. I have a friend who is an apprentice line man in Kansas and he has had several 100K years because he likes to work 50-60 hours a week.

 

[kcsvt94l]

My father has worked his entire adult life establishing a business that now employees well over 700 people. These employees earn roughly 65k-150k per year. Due to current market conditions for the last 3 years my father has not taken a penny from his business in order to keep the company afloat. I can assure you that, in the eyes of myself and the 700+ employees that work for him, he is worth $1,000 per hour and more.... It's effort and perseverance that makes a person successful and they should be praised for the hard work they put forth.

I don't disagree and can relate 100% though on a smaller scale. In your eye's he's worth a 1,000 an hour but if you went an asked him, he would laugh at you Sounds as though he and I are cut from similar cloth.