General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Bill Maher's excellent and sobering commentary on the wealth gap [View all]Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)I owned a deli once. Very long hours. Without pay. But owners do more than work. They risk. They envisioned the idea of the business, spent hours over papers working out the numbers to see if it'd work, made a million decisions, got a lease for a business location, put up money that they would lose if the business failed (most small businesses fail). Owners do a lot of work that the employees don't see. But if the business fails, they are the ones that could lose their shirts. And if the business succeeds, they are the ones who make the money because they are the ones who risked everything to start the business. It's theirs. They own it.
Employees do a task. It's that simple. Whether they work for Business A or Business B. Whatever task that is, or job, or skill....it pays a certain wage. That employee is certainly free to start his own business. But most people don't because they can't afford to finance it, can't afford to live w/o a wage while getting the business off the ground, and if it fails, it might literally ruin their lives.
Maher makes his money by getting a salary for doing something that few people in the world can do. Same thing with Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Nicole Kidman. You make money by being unique and talented. When there are just a few people in the world who can do what you do, you are in position to demand more money. Cruise gets paid the big bucks because the production company can't hire "John Doe," because people wouldn't go see the movie with John Doe in it. It HAS to be Cruise. So Cruise can demand and get the big bucks. So can Maher. But they took a risk. Few entertainers become stars. If Cruise hadn't hit it big, he might be waiting tables somewhere. Risk.
I see no purpose in being jealous of people who have risked it all to start a business, or get paid a lot because people like you want to pay to see them because they have talent or charisma. In fact, I think it's great. Maher is a quick wit, funny, very intelligent and informed, and one of the best political satirists that's been around in years. Are you suggesting he should get paid the same as the bus boy at the local cafe? ANYONE can be a bus boy. Only Maher can do what he does.
They earn it. They get to keep most of it, is my philosophy. Otherwise, people wouldn't take a risk to do those things. That's what the American Dream is all about. Why I, as a woman, can support myself and buy a house and car and live an independent life, while in much of the world that's not possible for women. If I work hard, get a vocation or learn a skill, I have the opportunity to earn a decent living. I can risk a lot and start a business and get rich...or go bust. Or I can be a waitress, if I want. If I got paid the same no matter what I did, what wold be the incentive for getting an education, risking my life's savings to start a business, work 50 instead of 40 hours a week?