The unfairness of the pay should be a red flag that they are not running the companies in the company's best long term interest. What is so hard to understand about that if you run a company as your piggy bank rather than to make it grow long term you are not helping the economy.

I have never claimed confiscating CEO pay would right the economy. My point is that if we had competant management the economy would not have sank. Limiting CEO pay is a blunt instrument to tackle that issue but at least it would remove some of the incentive that caused this mess. I'm all for punative damages to those CEO's though as a way to compensate the swindled investors.

Is it so hard to comprehend that if you can make in 1 year what CEO's used to make in 10 by rigging the books or sacrificing long term profitibility for short term profits that you might be a little less interested in the long term outlook for your company or keeping your books sound? Is it too hard to comprehend that if you can make enough in one year to live extravagently the rest of your life that you're primary focus might be more on getting a CEO job than keeping it?

Regards,
Mark