Comments on: Is the American Meritocracy Dead? http://travelingforever.com/blogs/2006/07/is-the-american-meritocracy-dead/ Change the world, one journey at a time. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:35:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Political News » The Death of the American Meritocracy http://travelingforever.com/blogs/2006/07/is-the-american-meritocracy-dead/#comment-681 Political News » The Death of the American Meritocracy Sat, 26 Aug 2006 11:08:53 +0000 http://travelingforever.com/blogs/?p=20#comment-681 [...] read more | digg story Digg this [...] [...] read more | digg story Digg this [...]

]]> By: Carl http://travelingforever.com/blogs/2006/07/is-the-american-meritocracy-dead/#comment-79 Carl Mon, 03 Jul 2006 17:52:47 +0000 http://travelingforever.com/blogs/?p=20#comment-79 Uh, are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet not shining examples of the American Meritocracy? Both of them earned their money [mostly] honestly and through [somewhat] hard work. I would think the opposite of the meritocracy is wealth passed down through the gnerations to annoying progeny like the Kennedys, Bushes and Paris Hiltons of the world. Buffet himself has said that he disagrees with handing over all his wealth to his kids, and your characterization that the B&M Gates' money is going to "foreign" hands is untrue, as part of their mission is to help American secondary education as well as other efforts that will benefit the United States. Uh, are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet not shining examples of the American Meritocracy?
Both of them earned their money [mostly] honestly and through [somewhat] hard work.

I would think the opposite of the meritocracy is wealth passed down through the gnerations to annoying progeny like the Kennedys, Bushes and Paris Hiltons of the world.

Buffet himself has said that he disagrees with handing over all his wealth to his kids, and your characterization that the B&M Gates’ money is going to “foreign” hands is untrue, as part of their mission is to help American secondary education as well as other efforts that will benefit the United States.

]]> By: Dan http://travelingforever.com/blogs/2006/07/is-the-american-meritocracy-dead/#comment-78 Dan Mon, 03 Jul 2006 17:35:38 +0000 http://travelingforever.com/blogs/?p=20#comment-78 When I said move towards socialism I did not mean a full blown communist state. A move towards socialism does not REQUIRE a sacrifice of individual rights or freedoms. It would bring about more income equality along with many other benefits such as health care and so on. It’s very possible, look at countries like Norway, Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands. There they have a very low income inequality and they maintain their freedoms while being fairly socialist in nature. When I said move towards socialism I did not mean a full blown communist state. A move towards socialism does not REQUIRE a sacrifice of individual rights or freedoms. It would bring about more income equality along with many other benefits such as health care and so on. It’s very possible, look at countries like Norway, Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands. There they have a very low income inequality and they maintain their freedoms while being fairly socialist in nature.

]]> By: MajorDad1984 http://travelingforever.com/blogs/2006/07/is-the-american-meritocracy-dead/#comment-76 MajorDad1984 Mon, 03 Jul 2006 14:00:43 +0000 http://travelingforever.com/blogs/?p=20#comment-76 Class envy here, pure and simple. I'm a career government employee having served 12 years on active duty in the Army and then the past 14 as an Army analyst on the civilian side of the equation. Yes, you can say that bureacracies are indeed bloated and inefficient, but that hardly addresses the effect that's in question here. I too believe that a CEO pulling in 1000 times what the average Joe makes is on the obscene side, but it's not been changed by the company stockholders who put up the bucks to finance the company. As to the "sweetheart deals" from government, only the big companies out there have the capability to perform to standard. Take into consideration "set aside" contracts for small, minority, and female owned businesses. It's not as bad as you might think. If you want to be beaten down by this "news" by all means, go right ahead and sing, "Nobody pays me, everybody hates, I think I'll go eat worms." It might make you feel better, but it won't change a bloody thing! MajorDad1984 Class envy here, pure and simple.

I’m a career government employee having served 12 years on active duty in the Army and then the past 14 as an Army analyst on the civilian side of the equation. Yes, you can say that bureacracies are indeed bloated and inefficient, but that hardly addresses the effect that’s in question here.

I too believe that a CEO pulling in 1000 times what the average Joe makes is on the obscene side, but it’s not been changed by the company stockholders who put up the bucks to finance the company.

As to the “sweetheart deals” from government, only the big companies out there have the capability to perform to standard. Take into consideration “set aside” contracts for small, minority, and female owned businesses. It’s not as bad as you might think.

If you want to be beaten down by this “news” by all means, go right ahead and sing, “Nobody pays me, everybody hates, I think I’ll go eat worms.” It might make you feel better, but it won’t change a bloody thing!

MajorDad1984

]]> By: zorathruster http://travelingforever.com/blogs/2006/07/is-the-american-meritocracy-dead/#comment-75 zorathruster Mon, 03 Jul 2006 12:05:30 +0000 http://travelingforever.com/blogs/?p=20#comment-75 The real affect that is creating this is immigration. The lower echelons of workers and now more middle levels are in wage competition with the flow of illegal workers flooding over our borders. The wealthy continue to benefit by capitalizing on either those illegal workers or the beneficial affect of the competative wage invironment. Congress, being well lubricated by "businesses" who claim they would be non competative without illegal workers, keep the enforcement of the American laws cripled so that both groups can continue to benefit. It is not so much that the upper ranks are making so much more, it is that the lower ranks have been stagnant or dropping over the same mentioned period. The real affect that is creating this is immigration. The lower echelons of workers and now more middle levels are in wage competition with the flow of illegal workers flooding over our borders. The wealthy continue to benefit by capitalizing on either those illegal workers or the beneficial affect of the competative wage invironment. Congress, being well lubricated by “businesses” who claim they would be non competative without illegal workers, keep the enforcement of the American laws cripled so that both groups can continue to benefit.

It is not so much that the upper ranks are making so much more, it is that the lower ranks have been stagnant or dropping over the same mentioned period.

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