re: Updated CEO pay OP: CEOs earn 3.8 times average worker

I am as free market running dog capitalist as you can find and... yes... too many CEOs are earning salaries that are higher then their performance dictates.

I will now pause to allow those who want to scream "You dirty commie Basterd!"... and hopefully scream it while doing their best Jim Ross impression, do so.

A good CEO is worth his weight in gold. Most of us can agree on that. It is when someone comes in, shites the bed, gets a huge severance package, and then either retires to a life of ease or switches over to running another company into the ground that there is going to be some concern.

I think over the last few years stockholders, very reasonably, have begun getting a serious case of the red arse about paying through the nose for some jackass that managed to steer the company onto the rocks. There are, however, a great many skilled CEOs who do a good enough job that the parasites can flourish.