Quote of the Week

“What constitutes a fair society is no longer just a matter for academic theorists. Suddenly it’s the hottest subject in politics. The reason is simple: growing public revulsion at a new class of super-rich who seem to be immune from the restraints that govern the lives of ordinary people.”
Peter Oborne, The rise of the overclass, The Telegraph, January 20, 2012

Stat of the Week

In 2010, notes Syracuse University tax expert Len Burman, the average American earning under $200,000 had a capital loss, not a gain. Those Americans making over $1 million had $258 billion of the $261 billion of the year’s net capital gains.

Greed at a Glance

Giving birth as a luxury event . . . The class war battle within the top 1 percent . . . CEOs whose companies make prescription drugs make mega millions. So do the CEOs whose companies deliver them.

Executive Pay Scorecard

Top media outlets and business researchers annually release compensation surveys that detail executive pay levels over the preceding year. These surveys seldom sample the same corporations — or measure pay the exact same way — and, consequently, almost always generate somewhat different results. We sum up the latest top national and regional survey results here.