Should we curb high salaries? If so, how?

Very high salaries for top executives is harmful to so much. It is said that companies have to pay so much to get managers to take the job. This is nonsense. Furthermore, the huge gaps between the top and the lowest paid disturbs society. It seems to be unfair to all. The answer is transparency. If the light of day is shone on every aspect of CEO compensation, it will encourage greater consideration.

I am somewhat surprised that the press has not picked out very highly paid executives and staked them out to photograph their houses, their cars, their planes, and their spending. At some point, I am convinced it will happen, and that will be harmful to society.

Resigning when a subordinate is guilty

In many culture, the ultimate boss is expected to resign when a subordinate commits a crime or is simply guilty of unethical behavior. An honest mistake is OK, but when it is an intentional breach or law or trust, the boss goes of his or her own volition. In Japan, until recently, the boss paid with his life! While few cultures go that far, resigning is the honorable way to go.

However, we see many examples of a boss proclaiming his or her responsibility, but then continue as though nothing had happened. This is a sad cultural reflection.

Age discrimination in hiring is alive and well

It is interesting that while the average life expectancy has gone up over 20 years since Social Security started, average retirement age has not. In fact, we can see that a company seeking a 45 year old in 1950 was looking for someone two thirds of the way through his or her life, that now translates to someone close to the midpoint. Yet, while pundits keep on proclaiming that America will have to find new ways to make better use of people in their 60s, companies persist in excluding them from opportunities.

The average age of the Iraq Study Group was 74, yet, most position specs will talk abut seeking people with 10-15 years experience (or 35-40 in the case of an executive). I have never seen a spec which calls for 30 years experience (a 55 year old), and would collapse if I saw one for someone with 40 years experience. Yet, why not? If today's 65 year old is like a 50 year old of a generation ago, companies should be eager to hire energetic, smart and very seasoned executives.

Cable to Cars - incomplete numbers

We seem to have such a drive towards simplification of everything that we expect one fact or number to encapsulate all we need to know. Whether it is an SAT score, a bhp number in a car, or download speed in a broadband connection, they only tell us part of the story. BHP tells us little without torque, and even then, we need to know the respective curves. Download speed needs to be complemented by upload speed, error rates, etc. An SAT score may be a misleading predictor of success in later life.

This habit leads people to not only seek, but to assume that everything can be measured by one number. Perhaps this is why the US News & World Reports ranking of Colleges and Universities, although criticized, is relied upon by many.

complete cast lists

I have always found it interesting that in the US it is difficult to get the complete cast list for a TV program, whereas in other countries it is normal to show it. I can understand that it eats into TV commercial time, but even on websites, it is difficult to get one. I can speculate that in other countries minutiae may be more important, or that in the US viewers do not want to be reminded that drama shows are fantasy. However, I really do not understand it.

Looking at the world through tinted lenses does not help

The US has long officially believed that Cubans were only waiting for Fidel Castro's grip on power to loosen to replace him. Yet, even though it has, nothing has changed. The US Government assumed that Iraqis would welcome US troops as liberators. However, they did not, or if any did, it was not for long. Sadly, US officialdom and corporate management have for years continued to believe that all other countries see the US the same way Americans do. This has not served America well. Empathy for others is underdeveloped.

Many Americans believe that Americans are somehow more patriotic and love their country more than citizens of other countries. Yet, citizens of countries with even the most odious regimes do love their countries. This patriotism allows them to put up with a lot.

Nevertheless, ordinary citizens of other countries do have affection and respect for much in the US - it is simply not always what Americans expect. Citizens of other nations respect America's creativity, energy, economic freedom, as well as Hollywood movies, Levis and Coca Cola. However, they may not always admire the politicians, economists, and philosophers whom we do.

Many citizens of other democracies believe that the US' "first past the post" electoral system, and constant partisan gerrymandering of boundaries is far from democratic. Some other countries have charters of rights which are more modern than the US, which has one of the oldest constitutions in the world. Whether you agree with it or not, it is important to know it.