Lally's Alley: MCCAIN MAN

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

MCCAIN MAN

Here's a great quote (!) from former Senator, Phil Gramm, who McCain had speaking for him on "economics" up until he told the country that we're all just imagining things are tough financially out here.

But anyway, here's the quote, he's referring to the former chief executive of AT&T, Ed Whitacre, and says he was "probably the most exploited worker in American history." !!! Why? Because Whitacre only received $158 million dollars as a "pay package" as the NY Times calls it, instead of the "billions" Gramm felt he deserved for growing Southwestern Bell.

And the right wing wants to try and label anyone who raises the issue of the small percentage of our fellow citizens who have become the greediest and wealthiest (and controlling of the highest percentage of the wealth of the country—by this smallest percentage of people ever) as trying to wage "class warfare."

Well, who wouldn't, given what's happening.

3 comments:

Another Lally said...: Whitacre took a floundering 'Southwestern Bell Communications' in 1990 and worked it not only back to profitability, but to the point of aquiring AT&T.

Unlike many CEO's who are hired as figure heads, yet receive outlandish 'Golden Parachutes', Whitacre is actually worth his reward.

This is not class warfare, but envy of the innovator.

The thousands employed by the conglomerate he has assembled, now known as AT&T, should be grateful to their employer. The thousands of customers whose lives are made more comfortable should be grateful to this man who provides a service. The millions of Americans who benefit from the millions in taxes that he pays personally and as a corporation should be grateful. The stockholders in the companies that he rescued and revived should be grateful.

But no, he is a greedy, self-serving individual because he became a massive success. Nobody remembers the days when he started out with little to nothing of his own. They just want to cry in their beverage of choice that someone has more than they do.

As in 'Atlas Shrugged', people such as Whitacre may not decide to be innovative or productive because it will not profit them.

The Third World mentality that is pervasive in this nation is what is crippling our economy. We are not a great nation because government invents products or services. We are a great nation because individual private citizens have the freedom to take the innitiative to invent and improve raising our standard of living.

We who have 24/7 electricity, running water, flush toilets and the myriad other things we take for granted that are unheard of in other nations, are not sufferring by any means.

We are spoiled in the 'luxuries' that we take for granted.; July 30, 2008 at 7:00:00 AM EDT
Lally said...: As usual, "another lally" misses the point. This has nothing to do with Whtacre doing a good job, it's about Gramm, a man McCain said he would put in charge of the economy, stating that someone who received $158 million dollars was "the most exploited worker in American history." It's not about what's a "just" reward (though if you go back to the 1950s when the US economy was growing and the envy of the world, it's interesting that taxes were so high on the rich there wasn't any point in taking more than one person and their family for generations to come might need to remain wealthy, as opposed to the kinds of pay days the rich now receive which make them and their families wealthy beyond most nations, let alone mere humans) it's about what is "just" period, and how out of touch (or uncaring) many on the right happen to be.; July 30, 2008 at 10:13:00 AM EDT
Another Lally said...: So in your view a 'just reward' is not 'just'?

Or is it that those who have more should give a greater share of what they have?

The 'whiners' in this country who enjoy the benefits of capitalism will not be happy until they bring about socialist reforms.

Who will be there to tax when all the innovators and inventors take their business to some other country? They take their businesses and the job creation to some other nation that will welcome them and not punish them for their accomplishments.

You can't have a piece of the pie unless someone is there to bake one.; July 30, 2008 at 12:34:00 PM EDT