Poverty. Starvation. Oil dependency. AIDS. Inequality. Climate change. Energy crisis. The list of global problems can go on and on, with little hope of permanent solutions. What if we were able to take one giant step towards solving all these issues? Think, for a moment, about what this world could be like if there was such thing as a maximum wage. We know all about minimum wages. Most of us have probably worked a minimum wage job at some time in our lives. Most of us are probably also aware of people in this world such as sports players, movie stars, oil mongrels, etc, who are raking in millions at a faster rate than the average person could count the coins in their pocket. However, what if there was a wage ceiling to prevent people from getting way more money than they even know what to do with? For example, what if a maximum wage was set: no person can earn more than 100 times the average yearly salary of that state/country. Let’s say the average yearly salary is $40,000. That means the maximum wage would be $4 million each year. Hmmm… if you ask me, that should be more than enough for anyone to live off. Meanwhile, the billions or trillions of extra money could be used to research and solve problems all over the globe. Studies also suggest that setting a wage ceiling could prevent inflation and support the economy. Howard Gardner, a Harvard-based psychologist, has suggested a new policy that includes a maximum wage of 100 times the average yearly salary. Also, he says that nobody should be allowed to collect an estate worth more than 50 times the allowed income. Therefore, again using $40,000 as an average wage, no person should be allowed to collect a total sum of $200 million. Anyone with more than $200 million would be required to donate the “extra” to charity or the government. Does this sound too tough? Personally, I don’t know why anyone would ever need any more than $4 million each year. Also, collecting an estate of $200 million seems like more than enough. Is it fair? Tell me, is it fair for a baseball player to rake in $10 million each year when the high school coach who trained him makes $20,000? Nah… With an income cap we can help boost the economy, solve energy problems, decrease oil dependency, even out unfair wages, and do so many other positive things. To me, setting a maximum wage simply makes sense. http://www.alternet.org/workplace/62507/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2003/aug/06/executivesalaries.economy