General Discussion

wickerwoman

(5,662 posts)

123. The problem with "stockholders can just sell their shares if they're not happy about CEO pay"

Wed Sep 4, 2013, 11:40 AM

Sep 2013

is that it doesn't recognise the complexity of the current system, particularly where "private" corporations are publically listed.

A huge amount of money invested in the stock market and in shares is through large pension funds or other investment firms where the stockholder is at a distance from the company being invested in. The average person doesn't have the time or financial literacy to do due dilligence on every one of the potentialy thousands of companies that their retirement fund is invested in and even if they did, their pension fund or 401K or investment firm isn't going to not invest in a particular company because one person was unhappy about the CEO's pay package.

The kinds of corporations we're talking about (large enough that CEO pay can get really ridiculous) can have literally millions of stockholders. A few people boycotting that stock over executive pay isn't going to have an impact.

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What I like to tell my RW friends regarding their "working HARDER to EARN a better wage" chestnut - [View all] HughBeaumont Sep 2013 OP

I'm union and I made a good 6 figures last year FreakinDJ Sep 2013 #1

Funny how everything bad in this country started around 1980-1982 . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #5

The Reagan era started the war against labor. I remember B Calm Sep 2013 #60

How sad is it that literally one of his FIRST actions in his FIRST year . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #71

Actually, the ideas arose in the 1960s and 1970s. JDPriestly Sep 2013 #81

Bingo! Happy Labor Day! mountain grammy Sep 2013 #75

"Divided we Beg." That's a Keeper. i like that. JDPriestly Sep 2013 #79

Nixon opened the doors to China Jmm313 Sep 2013 #83

Reagan sign the tax loopholes for corporations FreakinDJ Sep 2013 #86

Righteous rant. Thanks. SunSeeker Sep 2013 #2

People who say that tend to be the laziest SOB's around n/t n2doc Sep 2013 #3

Here is what I don't understand: JDPriestly Sep 2013 #82

I asked this very question in the 2 for 1 special a while ago . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #87

It's absolutely a matter of class Populist_Prole Sep 2013 #99

"Meat with eyes," as Lewis Black put it. GreenEyedLefty Sep 2013 #132

I asked one of those Rt Wingers that and he said eilen Sep 2013 #103

HAH! And what's hilarious about it is that they actually BELIEVE it. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #106

Divide and Conquer Mother Muckraker Sep 2013 #4

Well said. Beer Swiller Sep 2013 #111

What, 15 bucks an hour? safeinOhio Sep 2013 #6

........ daleanime Sep 2013 #29

We don't have the money to attend. obxhead Sep 2013 #7

Thank You! Yoruhime Sep 2013 #104

Preach it brother... flying rabbit Sep 2013 #8

Yes, we are supposed to wait for the money to "trickle down" dem in texas Sep 2013 #9

Used to buy a lot more, too . . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #14

This message was self-deleted by its author Barack_America Sep 2013 #10

What gets me is when they say giving lower classes more money will raise prices for the poor. Spitfire of ATJ Sep 2013 #11

Yeah, like they give a shit about the poor. nt SunSeeker Sep 2013 #15

They know America has a heart. To them, that's anti-profit. Spitfire of ATJ Sep 2013 #30

Excellent gopiscrap Sep 2013 #12

I've noticed many of those "work harder" types are glowing Sep 2013 #13

You just described my in-laws. Enjoying their pensions while voting Republican. SunSeeker Sep 2013 #16

On one hand you describe my family. obxhead Sep 2013 #20

They have no clue.....Delusional people with no clue who to blame. lunasun Sep 2013 #42

Great post! nt raccoon Sep 2013 #88

Dead on - I know a few of these... polichick Sep 2013 #96

I even see this from some unionized coworkers who've since retired. "I got mine" selfish jerks Populist_Prole Sep 2013 #100

Things have improved a lot since president Obama took over golfguru Sep 2013 #17

While health care and social issues are finally progressing (albeit glacially) . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #18

Economic disparity has gotten worse, not better, under Obama. Skeeter Barnes Sep 2013 #23

The Working Class has suffered emensly during the Obama Administration FreakinDJ Sep 2013 #28

Immaterial! What difference does that make??? golfguru Sep 2013 #34

Wtf? tazkcmo Sep 2013 #43

The problem is the middle class has dropped closer to the poor. yourout Sep 2013 #102

The poor are still poor with Obamacare. An insurance mandate does not pay the light bill. Skeeter Barnes Sep 2013 #47

Health Care Reform had to happen Cosmocat Sep 2013 #63

Too bad we don't have a Swedish or Norwegian congress . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #72

So true. Success no matter how small is still success. juajen Sep 2013 #50

Pure fantasy............nt Enthusiast Sep 2013 #57

It makes a HUGE difference! cui bono Sep 2013 #84

CEO's belong to "private" corporations golfguru Sep 2013 #94

I'm not talking about stockholders, I'm talking about workers. cui bono Sep 2013 #114

because golfguru Sep 2013 #115

I don't think so. cui bono Sep 2013 #116

Looks like you have never been inside golfguru Sep 2013 #118

The taxes are on profit, as you say, so the incentive is to put the money back into the company. cui bono Sep 2013 #119

stop pivoting golfguru Sep 2013 #120

I absolutely am not pivoting. You changed the conversation from workers to stockholders. cui bono Sep 2013 #121

Who was the beneficiary of that $40 B profit? golfguru Sep 2013 #124

Oh, I get it. You just don't care about workers or government having funds cui bono Sep 2013 #126

The problem with "stockholders can just sell their shares if they're not happy about CEO pay" wickerwoman Sep 2013 #123

You got one thing exactly right... golfguru Sep 2013 #125

I'm not going to spend my time arguing with you, but I'd like to point something out: DisgustipatedinCA Sep 2013 #128

That is so typical of many who use that tactic golfguru Sep 2013 #129

You might have a point, if I had lost an argument to you. DisgustipatedinCA Sep 2013 #130

Oh God, not the "jealousy" canard. You're smarter than this. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #89

What has stopped YOU from becoming fabulously wealthy? golfguru Sep 2013 #95

Easy. My parents weren't wealthy and I'm not that supremely determined to step on anyone for wealth. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #107

majority of wealthy individuals in US did not golfguru Sep 2013 #127

Nor were ANY of them "Self-made millionaires". Not ONE. Google is YOUR friend. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #131

Me and you have all the same infrastructure available golfguru Sep 2013 #134

what difference does that make?? dana_b Sep 2013 #90

DO not mis-quote me...puleez golfguru Sep 2013 #97

What a load of bullshit. obxhead Sep 2013 #109

Thank you and Amen! MatthewStLouis Sep 2013 #19

Just out of curiosity... Llewlladdwr Sep 2013 #21

AA in pre-professional Journalism, BA in English, minor in Business. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #37

I used to work in a factory with a woman who had been there for 23 years. Skeeter Barnes Sep 2013 #22

So what you're saying is that she pretty much LOST money over time. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #35

Exactly. Wages sank while the productivity of American workers has risen steadily. Skeeter Barnes Sep 2013 #45

Yup LittleGirl Sep 2013 #39

No, she was aware she was making chump change and she didn't appreciate it. Skeeter Barnes Sep 2013 #46

I have worked at the same job since 2002. Initech Sep 2013 #24

These stories are playing out like this all over the country. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #40

Hey to quote an expression I first heard during the W administration: Initech Sep 2013 #52

grow n sell weed matt in france Sep 2013 #69

Or meth, a la Walter White. Initech Sep 2013 #80

My brother-in-law just got hit with a $9.00 pay cut bearssoapbox Sep 2013 #25

I seen this sold to employees yourmovemonkey Sep 2013 #44

Yeah, "the investment wage cut" bearssoapbox Sep 2013 #48

That's a great story yourmovemonkey Sep 2013 #49

The ONLY way trickle down can happen is if the SheilaT Sep 2013 #26

Kick And Recommend cantbeserious Sep 2013 #27

When they so smugly talk about all those poor people and their bad decisions Warpy Sep 2013 #31

"what do the simple folk do?" from "camelot" niyad Sep 2013 #33

k and r-- it saddens me that even some people who are not rwnj's can fall for the bs coming from niyad Sep 2013 #32

they seem to want to blame the little guys beneath their rung in society for being somehow slackers CTyankee Sep 2013 #66

this is what happened to the idiots that bought reagan's voovoo doo doo. pansypoo53219 Sep 2013 #36

Even GHWB knew it was a buncha hooey. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #38

Sisyphus TomClash Sep 2013 #41

Entirely Apt BrotherIvan Sep 2013 #110

I consistently received excellent performance reviews... awoke_in_2003 Sep 2013 #51

K&R Joe Shlabotnik Sep 2013 #53

Economic blackmail, exploitation, manipulation King_Klonopin Sep 2013 #54

It's like I said above . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #56

Some of the hardest workers around are making minimum wage bhikkhu Sep 2013 #55

But you have freedom rpannier Sep 2013 #58

White-collar, salaried workers need to unionize as well. reformist2 Sep 2013 #59

well said. xchrom Sep 2013 #61

Excellent OP - K&R nt TBF Sep 2013 #62

These are not good times blondie58 Sep 2013 #64

"Divided we beg." 99Forever Sep 2013 #65

my parents taught me this shit matt in france Sep 2013 #67

K&R! This is all so true, but the remedy is to take back our politicians. Dustlawyer Sep 2013 #68

Much ctsnowman Sep 2013 #70

Nixon: ''We're all Keynesians now.'' Octafish Sep 2013 #73

Excellent OP theHandpuppet Sep 2013 #74

Nice post and a real American story echoed often.. mountain grammy Sep 2013 #76

k and r for Labor Day nashville_brook Sep 2013 #77

And another kick from me Nevernose Sep 2013 #78

I'm still under $11/hour after 14 years in retail Bradical79 Sep 2013 #85

Hang on, help is on the way! You'll get those new shoes, and have money to spare! lol reformist2 Sep 2013 #92

Part of the reason Florida is such a cesspool DonCoquixote Sep 2013 #91

corporate welfair Royal777 Sep 2013 #93

they're pretending it's the 50s or 70s, where the economy was managed and unionized MisterP Sep 2013 #98

K&R DeSwiss Sep 2013 #101

Ironworker in NYC LittleRock Sep 2013 #105

Thanks for sharing. It's like 1981 Reagan all over again. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #108

Blaming individuals for not working hard enough OrwellwasRight Sep 2013 #112

Oh, it's worked exactly as planned, and the useful idiots fall for it like they do Twinkies. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #113

Message auto-removed Name removed Sep 2013 #117

Excellent OP - U.S. Needs To Borrow Scandanavian Model To Improve Economic Equity drgoodword Sep 2013 #122

My son has a masters degree and makes about what I was B Calm Sep 2013 #133