Are you old enough to remember when CEO's of big companies were well thought of,

[raccoon]

not sociopaths who just wanted to let go as many workers as they could and give themselves megasalaries and
megabonuses for doing so?

[bemildred]

1. Yes, I am. nt

[liberal N proud]

2. When would that have been?

When Rockefeller was doing his guilt driven philanthropy after he used every dirty trick to build his empire?

Past that, I have seen nothing that CEO's of oil companies have given me anything to think well of them.

Greed is always their king and guides their way!


Disclaimer: I don't hold any heroes.

[Brother Buzz]

3. Yes, and the CEO's were the pillars of the community who gave a ton of time....

promoting community projects. They knew they had it good and never forgot how they got there.

[aquart]

4. That was before we heard the words "golden parachute."

[SharonAnn]

5. Yes, and then "Chainsaw Al" dunlap became the model for self-enrichment and asset stripping

of companies.

Looting pension plans, cutting worker's pay, eliminating their jobs, off-shoring production, closing factories, etc.

And, remember "Barbarians at the Gate"? The private buyout of RJR Nabisco for self-enrichment, not the benefit of the companies. It's a rattling good read (and movie) and gets into the shenanigans of corporate executives in a very interesting way.

[doc03]

6. Back when I started in the steel mill it wasn't unusual for our CEO to walk through the

mill and talk to the employees like a regular guy. Back then he lived in the local area and didn't make a hundred times
more salery either.

[Wellstone ruled]

7. Nixon and his co-horts

started us down this road.

[dmosh42]

8. I remember back in the 50s and 60s, the CEOs wanted an 'even' field on overseas trading, to give....

the American companies a chance to compete. The unions also endorsed that policy. But the Japs whittled away at that, and by the time Reagan got in, it was normal business to sell out and try to build overseas for the slave labor. As usual it was the Repukes who suddenly didn't feel unpatriotic in selling the workers out.

[1StrongBlackMan]

9. The "Japs"?

Really?

[Raven]

10. Yes, and I knew a man who was a Director of AT&T

from the '50s to the '80s who received $100 a month compensation to cover the cost of attending monthly meetings in NYC...nothing more than that...and he thought that was more than enough for doing what he thought was his fiduciary duty for the shareholders. My, how times have changed.

[hifiguy]

11. Yes. Here in Minneapolis the Dayton family

and the Cowles family were exceedingly civic-minded and well-regarded. The former made their money in department stores - now long sold off by the Target Corp., and the latter ran the newpaper. Our Governor, Mark Dayton, is a member of the Dayton family.

[closeupready]

12. Yes, and it was a long time ago, seems like sometimes.

It doesn't make me gleeful to note that.

Believe it or not, even Sam Walton, the patriarch, was well thought of during his lifetime.

[sinkingfeeling]

13. Yes.