Thursday, October 22, 2009

Warren Speaks on Executive Pay on The Early Show

Wall Street will never understand why everyone is in an uproar over their pay. They don't think like we do. They do the jobs they do because they are motivated by greed. But they don't view it as greed. They view it as capitalism. In a way, they feel they're being altruistic. They make the world run, after all.
Greed is part of their culture and our society contributed to that culture by equating success with money. Greedy bankers can also point to the people who knowingly bought a home they couldn't afford or borrowed against their home for a shiny new whatever. In a nutshell, subprime mortgages brought down a global financial system.
Bankers and investors were only fulfilling a demand in their view.
But while the people on Main Street are suffering severe consequences, Wall Street isn't.
Bailed out bankers don't care about families facing foreclosure. They don't care about people losing their retirements. They believe in survival of the fittest, free markets. They believe that they have superior positions. These are different breed of people.
But perhaps we've learned capitalism without restraint doesn't work for a society. Bailed out execs are about to get 50% pay cuts in total compensation. But even with cuts, they'll be able to manage just fine.
Elizabeth Warren is at a loss for an explanation as to why Wall Street doesn't get it:

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