The difference between capitalism and communism:

[Smith_3]

In communism the companies get nationalized and then go bankrupt. In capitalism they first go bankrupt and then get nationalized.

[CJCRANE]

1. In communism everyone gets paid the same

regardless of whether they are productive or not.

In the new capitalism the least productive people get paid the most.

[Mad_Cow_Disease]

3. Kind of like capping executive salaries, eh? (n/t)

[anonymous171]

6. In Communism they would have been executed. nt

[vaberella]

9. That's more like Communism by way of Marx. n/t

[CJCRANE]

10. $500,000 p.a. is still more than ten times the average salary...

and if their company is asking for bailout money it means they (the executives) have failed so in all fairness they should receive no salary at all.

[Mad_Cow_Disease]

11. "it means they have failed "

That's simply not true. I'm not saying all or none of them did a good job, I'm just pointing out that you're approaching this situation with a very narrow mind and applying a very broad brush. A CEO's job is not only to maximize profits & grow the company but also to mitigate any losses that a hostile buisiness environment can dish out. For example, say you had company which stands to loose several billion dollars because of an economy that's flopping. A vetted CEO comes to you with promise that while he can't get you 'out of the red' he can mitigate your loss to only a few million and has a successful track record inticating this. Wouldn't a CEO that saved you an assload of cash deserve some sort of exemplary compensation? Do you think you could afford a CEO that talented for only $500k? A good CEO's earns alot of money for good reason and, while there will be overpriced CEOs out there that are not very good, there are quite a few talented corporate leaders out there who know where they can make more than $500k/yr.

In the end you get what you pay for. If companies cannot pay for good CEOs they will not get them. This means bailout companies (who already need all the help they can get) will be stuck with rookie or poor leadership while thier (better off) competition can hire whom they please. Even if the 'new leadership' proves itself to be great, you can bet your ass they'll resign the first offer they get from a more stable corporation who can offer >$500k.

Keep in mind, I personally could care less what happens as long as this get fixed.
I'm not a "business man" and make an average salary. We need the stimulus, but the executive salary cap is just 'feel-good' B.S.

[screembloodymurder]

2. LOL

That's funny and so true. Private equity is all for capitalism ... as long as they're making money.

[originalpckelly]

4. The houses.

Miles and miles of the same house throughout America. From space, it looks like some gigantic millipede. There is your key. It's certainly not as bad as the spartan quarters of the Soviets, but it is no less wrong. Planning is inhuman and anti-freedom. Why should I be a cog in someone's machine?

Freedom cannot coexist with planning so stringent, pervasive, and overwhelming.

[anonymous171]

5. In Communism everything is nationalized. In Capitalism, the government is privatized. nt

[vaberella]

7. That's not communism...unless you mean Russian. That's not what Marx was talking about though. n/t

[galaxy21]

8. Communism is bad because Rocky 4 said so

[Donald Ian Rankin]

12. Rocky 4 and a few million Chinese and Russians who starved to death...

Defending communism is not a serious response to the world's current economic problems.

[rug]

13. Another University of Phoenix polisci major.