Should the salaries of CEOs be in legal proportion to the average salary of the workers in the company?

[Viking]

Even though I personally think they are overpaid, this is a free market economy. If you place caps on CEOs, what's next...cap on pro athletes? Cap on entertainers? Cap on police and fire fighters? Slippery slope my friend.

[darkvelvetrain]

The government should not be involved in salary capping. Investors should decide whether or not a CEO should be getting tremendous sums of money for not working very hard.

The government SHOULD, however, investigate rising CEO pay in those industries that provide business and public necessity products and services, like energy, if they claim that their bottom line is being hurt by random influences, like hurricanes, floods, the war in Iraq, etc. Energy is one of those goods that needs to be regulated strongly to ensure that everyone gets a piece as the ultimate purpose of government is to regulate scarce resources so that the elites do not have an unfair advantage.

[a_man_could_stand]

"Social Conscience" is the property and responsibility of the people, not the government.

The people must be the instrument of social change. Expecting the government to do it for you simply means you are willing to abdicate further social responsibility to the State.

It may take longer than suits you, but the "Free Market" will adjust to meet "Social Conscience" so long as the people expend the effort necessary to make it so.

[richard c]

This is one question that can answer itself? Ethics have left the building when it comes to stealing company assets and investors hard earned money.No morals are apparent in business and government in this day and age.I read where CEO's are getting somewhere like 140 times the average workers compensation? and they tell you that minimum wage is bad ,wrong, causes prices to rise?7.00 bucks versus millions in CEO's payout?? Immoral!absolutely! as for a ethics question? After you have more than you can spend in a lifetime,bigger and better and more would seem to lose its appeal? but evidently it must a be a disease not easily cured? our society is out of balance as to distribution of wealth,greed,and a conscience to make changes for the good of all.

[billyboy64]

The shareholders should be the ones to make this decision, not the government. The CEO doesn't pick what his salary will be; the Board of Directors do. And they report to the shareholders of the company (the people that vote them onto the board).