Hi Dmitry,

That's a great story.

I've heard enough from people who lived under Communism to know that socialism is not the answer. Mind you, there is a difference between "socialism" and "socialized". Here we have socialized medicine and it is a wonderful thing.

But I specifically said it was "the American way" as opposed to the capitalist's way for a reason.
"The American way" of capitalism, as it has become practised in the last 15 years in the U.S. is 'capitalism run amok'. The MBAs have perverted capitalism to make maximizing profit the ONLY motive and everything else is expendable in the name of maximum profit.

American business now sucks money wherever it can get it from, including things like the Federal government. state governments, municipal governments, government programs like medicare and pension guarantees (where they can), employees, pension funds, contractors, suppliers and customers.

American business now operates from false fronts where they SAY certain things in corporate 'mission statements' and annual reports and board meetings but operate diametrically OPPOSED to those statements.

Capitalism the American way cannot continue much longer along the same path. Capitalism depends on people buying goods and services but in order for people to buy goods and services they have to have money and their disposible income has to grow. For more than the last 10 years the gap between rich and poor has been growing, and it has been not only the rich getting richer. It has also been the poor getting poorer. The great American middle class is shrinking and the poor class is growing. Capitalism will wither under such circumstances.
Henry Ford understood that the people need money to buy products and that's why he paid his employees the unheard of sum of $5.00 per day when he started his production line. There were NO MBAs in Henry Ford's day!

By the way, capitalism the American way does not (repeat: NOT) pay people what they are 'worth'. Never has and never will. It pays people what it can get away with.
There was a time when experience was valued. Now it is seen strictly as an extra cost not worth incurring. There was a time when knowing the business' internal procedures and practises was valued. Now procedures and practises are all but ignored if they stand in the way of an extra penny of profit.

Profit ***IS*** good. But profit achieved by exploitation and cheating and lying and breaking promises is not profit, but rather blood money. Unfortunately, to today's MBAs, it's all the same thing.



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>>I agree with you that employers who pay less just because they can is not the right way, but it is the American way".
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>>A person needs a job. He is not going to refuse $100,000. But he may need it badly enough that he'll take $15,000. if it is offered.
>>This isn't the fault, in any way, of the person needing the job, but rather the fault of the prospective employer.
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>
>Jim, I beg to disagree. This is not American way, this is a capitalist way. Which is a Good way. Otherwise, we would have a Socialism. And Socialism is very bad, believe me, I have seen it. This is what Socialism calls for: paying people the same just because of their needs, not on merits. I am sure you know what I am talking about. It would completely take the incentive of people learning new skills, or improving their skills, or doing a better job. Employer pays someone 15000 because that is what the person is worth.
>
>Let me share with you a true story of a friend of mine. He came to this country the same year I did, 26 years ago. We actually met the exact day I was leaving the old country. Later, about 2 years, I met him again in Boston. He was working for a company doing the lowest pay menial job. A bunch of us would meet, drink, talk about old times, old country, and complain about this or that. But he always said that he saw a possibility to advance in his job if he worked hard and learn new skills. Today he is the President and CEO of that company of 800 people. The only person he reports to is the owner of the company. My friend now is a millionaire and great success. This could never have happened in a socialist system.
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>I can tell you many stories like this.