Where Are We Headed?

Where are we headed?

This scenario is offered with the hope it will help us to focus on the issues of government and social concerns. Most people, the world over, would say that they want (1) everyone to have access to proper health care, (2) everyone to be able to make an adequate living, (3) everyone to have sufficient food, clothing and housing, and (4)everyone to have access to a good education.
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Excessive Corporate Compensation

Where do you find businesses where some of the employees get to set their own salaries and compensation packages? You’ll find them in all the large corporations such as General Electric, General Motors, IBM, Bank of America and, yes, even SCANA, etc., etc., etc. In all such shareholder-owned corporations, the compensation packages are designed by a committee of the board of directors and approved by the total board, the officers of which are employees of the shareholders. A CEO’s compensation may be “negotiated”
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Who is entitled to the water in a river?

South Carolina’s attorney general, Henry McMaster, recently had an article in the
paper concerning the legal battle between South Carolina and North Carolina over the use of water from the rivers which come through N. C. on the way to S.C. He pointed out how the granting of permits by N. C. to certain cities and utilities for the diversion of millions of gallons of water per day could endanger the availablity of water to the citizens of S. C. He called the federal law suit which he had filed a "fight for S. C. rights".

My question is: how can such a conflict be resolved in a way that is fair to all without also coming to grips
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What Price Growth?

What Price Growth?

The economy of this country, and probably the entire world, is built on population growth and the ever increasing demand for products and services. Capital is invested on the supposition that such growth will continue into the future.

State governors, city mayors and chambers of commerce all clamor for “growth”, i.e. more businesses, more tourists, more construction, more sales and more jobs. All well and good, but few are giving any thought to the negative aspects of growth.

When the population grows, so do the problems of waste disposal, polution of air and water, traffic congestion, destruction of forests and natural habitat, and drain on the water supply. Is it worth it? Can we learn to live with zero growth?

Population Growth and Its Effects

Population Growth and Its Effects

The economy of this country, and probably the entire world, is built on population growth and the ever increasing demand for products and services. Capital is invested on the supposition that such growth will continue into the future. State governors, city mayors and chambers of commerce all clamor for “growth”, i.e. more businesses, more tourists, more construction, more sales and more jobs. So far, so good. The problem is that few are giving any thought to the negative aspects or the various costs of “growth”.

When the population grows, so do the problems of waste disposal, pollution of air and water, traffic congestion, destruction of forests and natural habitat, lack of adequate water supply, etc. With the population of the world doubling every 40 years, how much longer will it be before the planet becomes such an unhealthy place to live that the death rate increases enough to reduce the total population? It now seems that we will not face up to our prospects willingly while we still have time to head this off. We could learn to live with a zero population growth if we put our minds to it and resolved to change our expectations about our life style. Here’s hoping we do this before it is too late.

Executive Compensation: are stockholders being ripped-off?

Executive Compensation: Are Stockholders Being Ripped-off?

The compensation paid to the CEOs of some of the largest banks and auto manufacturers, all of whom have been having big problems with profitability recently, were reportedly:

Vikram Pandit of Citigroup: $ 38,237,437 in 2008*
Kenneth Lewis of Bank of America: 9,857,723 in 2008*
Jeffrey Immelt of General Electric: 9,280,935 in 2008*
Richard Wagoner of General Motors: 19,761,874 in 2007*
Alan Mulally of Ford Motor Co.: 22,750,385 in 2007*

(*I am using these figures because they were the ones available at www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/paywatch website. Some of the pay was down from the previous year, and some was up.)

Executive compensation at all corporations is determined by the corporation’s board of directors, the members of which are largely executives of other corporations. The explanation usually given by the directors
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