I've written a few posts before about how it seems that the people often who work the longest and hardest in our society are the ones who get paid the least. I have been thinking about this overall topic again as I continue to hear conservatives chortle that they don't want certain other groups to benefit from society at the rate of more than they have [somehow] put into it.
So, this line of reasoning has spawned an idea in me pea-sized noggin. Why don't we revolutionize the wage and compensation system in this country and across the globe to pay people based on how hard they actually work day-in and day-out?
Okay, I can hear some of you out there asking, "How would we determine how hard someone is working?" I would submit that we could utilize a very objective criteria: calories burned per hour. The workers who expend the greatest average of calories per day would be compensated the highest and those who expend lesser average amounts per day would be paid much less. We could even factor in a bonus for those people whose occupations are dangerous or, potentially, life threatening.
Under such a system, I would guess that
So, this line of reasoning has spawned an idea in me pea-sized noggin. Why don't we revolutionize the wage and compensation system in this country and across the globe to pay people based on how hard they actually work day-in and day-out?
Okay, I can hear some of you out there asking, "How would we determine how hard someone is working?" I would submit that we could utilize a very objective criteria: calories burned per hour. The workers who expend the greatest average of calories per day would be compensated the highest and those who expend lesser average amounts per day would be paid much less. We could even factor in a bonus for those people whose occupations are dangerous or, potentially, life threatening.
Under such a system, I would guess that
- Front line soldiers and non-commissioned officers in the armed forces would earn higher wages than commissioned officers and both groups would garner higher pay than those commissioned officers who rarely, if ever, see any actual time on the front lines (e.g., the Joint Chiefs of Staff).
- Public school teachers would earn more than principles and principles would earn vastly more than administrators and superintendents.
- Professional athletes would earn more than coaches and considerably more than team management AND owners.
- Factory workers would receive much better compensation than those in managerial positions AND significantly more than most CEOs.
- And the salaries, benefits and perks received by political officeholders would be near the bottom of the barrel. In fact, on their account, we would need to insure that a minimum wage was implemented!
What do you think? Are you with me?
Well in that case, why don't we all go back to a simple, agrarian (or hell, why not-- a hunter gatherer) lifestyle. No more information age, no more abstraction, beauracracy, middle management... back to the real.
ReplyDeleteThe way the economy and environment currently are headed, those days may soon be on our horizon anyway. ;-)
ReplyDeleteNot to discuss the PRINCIPLE of the thing, just to point out that the PRINCIPAL is your PAL...(principles don't get paid anything....)
ReplyDeleteFriendly copy editor attack....
But regarding principles....since in your earlier posts you were discussing issues of hierarchies and valuation, haven't you just created a different set?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like Marxist "from each/to each" 5-year-planning.
How about this: everyone gets paid the same: say, $10 an hour..in periods of profits and success, dividends are shared equally. (Of course, there's no incentive for doing a good job.)
Or we all periodically swap jobs...physical laborers and mental/strategic workers trade positions every now and then. (Actually, right now, I'd like to do a couple weeks of landscape maintenance...if I was paid the same wage.)
But, you know, they tried this idea in China and it didn't work out well. Intellectuals required to scrub toilets started to jump out windows.
And the metrics for a system like you suggest ... would you weigh people at the end of the day, monitor their blood sugar and body fat?
There will always be wage inequity.
I assume you are just posing rhetorical scenarios.