Not enough, which is why I'm going further left. The right has no solutions. I would start with the commodities market. Oil and other commodities have become much to important for global economies to simply be a play toy for speculators. If you buy oil, you must take delivery. If you sell oil, you must have oil to deliver. Same for other commodities. Price must be based on actual demand. Any publicly traded company that lay's off one single employee results in the CEO and entire board forfeiting all stock options and a 75% reduction in pay. Any money gained from stock options that were exercised within 180 days prior to the lay off would need to be paid back immediately. Executive pay cannot exceed more than 15 times that of the lowest paid employee. Any stock options given to executives must be given to all employees, top to bottom. Cost of living increases are mandatory for all employees of publicly traded companies. Any increase in pay, including stocks, benefits and other perks for board members must then be given to every employee in the same proportion. Drastic changes for sure, but corporate America and Wall Street brought in on themselves. They have shown a complete inability to govern themselves, therefore we the people must do it for them. Since they have no ethics and sense of patriotic obligation, we must teach it to them.
The people are seeing what they stayed home last election and let be voted in. Yes, it will be happening in other states too. This is good. The people need to see what will happen when the radicals take control. The working people will rally up and vote the next election. It will be the Democrats be a landslide.
so your "answer" is more regulation and more government. why cant it be "better" regulation and "smaller" government? your arguments above are not right/left as much as they are about a push for less corruption. corruption, i might add, that is everywhere on the right AND the left. no one on the right (me included) would ever argue with regulation, so long as it is smart and applicable. i dont think even libertarians would argue that government has some role in protecting people against "capitalism gone wild". but the issues you bring up above are more a product of corrupt and decadent politicians and less an aspect of where one stands politically.
You're right. You have gone so far left that you have fallen off the dock. Since there are an equal number of buyers and sellers in commodities markets, open positions in excess of supply logically corrects itself along the way and are forced to correct at contract end or accept or make delivery. This just makes the market efficient, unless you are suggesting there are contract holders who have so much money they just like giving it away. On the financial crisis, the blame lies MORE with Democrats than with Republicans. It was the Democrats (i.e. Carter, Clinton, Barney Frank, et al) who pushed housing on those who couldn't afford it and stretched the housing market to the breaking point where it collapsed. The entire mess lies at their feet. On executive pay I'm also inclined to find a solution. I don't think it is in the fixed rules you propose. I would prefer to make corporate boards more accountable. Possibly by removing some of their immunization from prosecution or civil suit over excessive pay and corporate decisions.
You're absolutely correct. I wish it could be better regulation and smaller government. I wish the corruption would just go away. How the hell do we get there? I'm venting my frustration with it all more than anything. I don't see how we get the changes we need without a dramatic change and neither party has anything of substance on the table.
See, this is where you lose me. I have written here time and again that Dems have played a major role in our economic problems. I have written that Unions have done themselves few favors over the years. It just seems to me that you guys on the right want to lay all the blame on the little guy while giving what amounts to a free pass for the executives and Repub politicians. A bunch of people have shit in their game and if you're going to tell me that we're all screwed up because some guy makes a living wage, and it was solely the Dem party that pushed us over the edge, all while minimizing or completely dismissing the actions of the right...well, I just have to call bullshit on that.
im with you and equally frustrated. i think a large portion of americans are. i dont know how we get there. i think limiting campaign donations in some way is a part. term limits is another. outlawing lobbying is probably a third. every law should be put to vote by the people. congress can come up with the laws, but the people should be able to vote them in. all laws should be posted online for 1 week before a public vote is requested.