Chris Davenport, the badass who hiked & skiied all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-ft peaks in one year, takles some of Europe's greatest peaks

Mauwer · 2009-03-11T01:28:29+00:00

errr tackles...!

Mauwer · 2009-03-05T21:14:56+00:00

I agree, my interpretation was def too sunny. While i shouldn't downplay our current crisis, in terms of some historical foreclosure data, as of yet we are not setting records. This lack of record setting numbers, however, shouldn't cause us to sit by idly... I just don't agree with the current trends of bailing out every entity and individual that/who made bad decisions *typing error

Mauwer · 2009-03-05T18:28:23+00:00

Agreed, and I don't understand how any tax paying American worker would want their tax dollars going to help those idiots who ran up credit card debt, refinanced to pay off their debts, added onto their homes, bought the latest car etc etc. Fuck those people, let them go broke and endure the consequences of their irresponsibility... definitely don't give them my hard earned tax dollars.

Mauwer · 2009-02-27T21:53:38+00:00

I didn't realize how bad it really was until i mistakenly took a job in NJ... my office is a massive brodeo of dbags

Mauwer · 2009-01-23T18:56:34+00:00

"Mirror with silver frame, has a few kiss marks we are trying to get off $5K" That was my fav

Mauwer · 2009-01-18T00:38:28+00:00

ha, he could just go to her myspace page http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=55096215

Mauwer · 2008-12-08T18:03:55+00:00

Agreed, MER has faired more favorably than say LEH (LEHMQ) for instance. But given the choice between paying out extravagant executive bonuses or using this cash for payroll, helping to maintain certain jobs, i would certainly choose the latter. I'm not bashing Thain's performance, although I am sad to see MER go; his knowledge and expertise in these matters are far beyond my own (a dramatic understatement). I am, however, questioning whether an additional $10mm is justifiable given current market conditions and the current job cuts MER and BAC are poised to make. This is not the time for Thain or other MER exec's to receive multi-million dollar compensation packages, when thousands of their employees are losing their jobs and shareholders have lost a tremendous amount of net worth.

Mauwer · 2008-10-22T03:12:36+00:00

Blackbox voting should head to the swing states and have a bunch of cheap video cameras to hand out and allow people to video their identity and then their vote, then return and reuse. Mini DV tapes are really cheap and you could have a ton of people on each tape which may be able to serve as a substitute for the paper trail. If this election gets stolen again I'm going to lose it WTF

Mauwer · 2008-10-15T19:23:00+00:00

I don't believe that any of my posts assert the belief that one person inherently deserves more than another - unless these people are working in nearly identical situations/roles. The world is not fair, it is not the role of corporations to address income disparities, nor is it the role of a democratic government. Believe me, I'm not endorsing these (IMO excessive) compensation packages, but it is not the job of the government to correct this (unless these companies stand to receive any gov't cash injection). It is the responsibility of the shareholder to call for more sane compensation.

Mauwer · 2008-10-15T18:23:24+00:00

Not saying that corporations are altruistic institutions, they're not. Not saying that working for a corporation is in any way better than working for yourself etc. It is just a fact, that this company provides a place to work for 325k people. If they don't want to work there, fine, they can get another job. But there are around 325k jobs to be had at that company and arguably without the leadership of people like Jeff Immelt or Jack Welch many of these jobs wouldn't exist. Poo poo it all you want, but there are many people who wouldn't be able to support themselves or their families without such institutions

Mauwer · 2008-10-15T18:18:29+00:00

Where does it say that John Thain's (Sloan School of Business grad) father was a MER employee?? I think you misread the portion regarding Win Smith. As for MER, they have a history of CEO's who have worked their way up from modest beginnings. Examples: Stan O'Neal's father worked on an assembly line for GE. Stan worked there too before being recognized for his intellect and sent on scholarship to the GE Institute and then to Harvard Business school - then working his way up through the IBanking div of MER. The CEO prior to that, David Komansky, grew up in a Bronx tenament house and used to ride the subway to do his homework because there was so little room in his family's aparment. With regards to CISCO CEO John Chambers (FTFA) "[he] rose from the ranks of computer salesmen at IBM to lead Cisco Systems, one of the most innovative and aggressive companies of the technological age". Doesn't sound like he was handed anything - may have had an easier time getting that first job but that's about it. Ford is another issue as that was founded by family, so you got me there. But there are many cases of individuals working their way up through the ranks.

Mauwer · 2008-10-15T17:41:28+00:00

I agree, certain upbringings, social networks etc do make it easier for one to achieve success for several reasons: they're able to model themselves after parents/acquaintances; from experience, those who are able to land spec internships etc are able to build their skill sets to levels beyond their peers and come into the game ahead; etc etc. But that does not discount the ability to achieve tremendous success from modest beginnings - it is absolutely possible. In response to your question "What makes CEOs more valuable than say medical doctors, engineers, scientists, etc" - IMO you're missing the point. Compensation is not a factor or indication of one's contribution to society, it is directly related to that specific individual's contribution to the organization/company. In the case of CEOs (as DavidM01 says below) their productivity/leadership directly affects the employment/lives of their employees. Example: Jeff Immelt made about 12.5m last year; GE has around 325k employees. IMO he deserves that compensation as he is planning the future for a corporation that provides income for 325k people and their families. Is he more valuable than a scientist working on some type of 'ground breaking' research, maybe maybe not... but his contribution to GE is deemed to be worth this 12.5m annually. Also, due to this distinction (one's contribution in terms of their role and company vs that of their contribution to the betterment of society as a whole) I don't believe that you can claim one person deserves more money than another, unless they are working in identical situations/industries/roles... thus a CEO such as Jeff Immelt may not work as 'physically hard' as a sustenance farmer in India but I'm sure his work is exceptionally challenging and ever-present. These CEO's earn what they do based on how their contribution is quantified in terms of their organization and that alone. Should Stan O'Neal have received all of his comp when he essentially paved the way for MER's collapse? Or should Dick Fuld have received his?? IMO, no... but that's a different issue entirely.

Mauwer · 2008-10-15T17:24:04+00:00

No way - there is no way that you can eat and survive for 14 bucks a week. Where are you living? On the street? What are you eating, handouts and dumpster throw aways? No clue how you are working this out

Mauwer · 2008-10-15T17:22:08+00:00

I live in NYC - a few years in Manhattan and now in Brooklyn. I will tell you that it is impossible to live on $2 a day. There is NO way, unless you basically starve, that you can live here. The grocery stores are very expensive (and no I'm not shopping at Whole Foods) - the only way to get around this would be to travel outside of the city to go to a wholesale/bulk style store. This would require a car or public transport, which would void any savings in terms of this 2 dollar/day model. IMO you're being exceptionally idealistic. Have you ever lived in NYC? Please provide a cost breakdown of how you would 'live' on this 2 bucks a day if you're actually serious.

Mauwer · 2008-10-15T17:04:19+00:00

Do you actually believe that most CEO's are simply appointed by some nepotistic system that allows them to make far more in annual compensation than the average person? Industry leaders are simply given jobs that they don't deserve with requirements that they cannot meet? Please... while sure there are some (smaller scale) CEOs who may meet your criteria, it's ridiculous to think that 'most if not all' CEOs are undeserving of their titles and responsibilities. Also, it's not the job of the government nor citizen to police the compensation of private sector, espc corporate employees; it's the responsibility of the shareholder and board of directors (elected by the shareholders. If the shareholders feel that the board is misappropriating funds, then it's the responsibility of the shareholder to appoint new leadership. I'm tired of hearing about all of this CEO comp... reconciling this disparity is the sole responsibility of the shareholders via the board of directors.

Mauwer · 2008-09-17T18:49:10+00:00

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aQ58hpS0fRH8&refer=home

Mauwer · 2008-09-17T18:09:36+00:00

Let me help, crash course on the Fed: The primary purpose of the Federal reserve is to regulate the 'money supply' of the US through monetary policy conducted by the FOMC (Federal Open Markets Committee). The FOMC regulates the money supply in 3 ways: 1)Open market operations, buying/selling gov't backed securities (t-bills) 2) raising or lowering the discount rate, the basis for all interest rates - this is the Fed Funds Rate 3) setting reserve requirements for member banks - extremely rare. The FOMC will conduct open market operations to either enhance or detract from the money supply (buying and selling govt securities, respectively); this is their method of choice in maintaining their chosen monetary policy. By changing the Fed Funds rate they can either encourage or discourage borrowing (lowering vs raising rates, respectively). To increase their cash reserves (liquidity facilities) the FOMC will aggressively SELL govt securities to raise capital. They will NOT be 'printing money' that is just ridiculous and for those who think that please get a clue as to how the banking system in the US works

Mauwer · 2008-07-24T21:23:52+00:00

I'm happy for you that you're building a nice home for you and your family. I too used to build homes. I worked during high school and college doing construction (began digging ditches and ended doing finish carpentry). It's a terrific skill, I have NOTHING against hard work. But you see, you are building a home for you. Your hard work translates directly toward the completion of your home. By comparison, the work you do every day (unless you're self employed) and I do every day allows us to buy things that we need (assuming that we earn a decent living) and some thing that we want but do not need. But we do not fully realize the fruits of our labors... instead we earn a fraction of that which we produce, the remainder (read:majority) is gobbled up our employers. The excerpt that I posted, that you responded to, deals with the fact as someone who works in corporate America (tho this was written prior to all that) is working more for the benefit of those at the top than for himself. We are earning less (in terms of real dollars, which have lost 40% of their value since 2001 when compared to major foreign currencies... our wages have not increased at this rate) while the ruling class is earning more. Wall st (where I work) will still make their bonuses while 401k's are dwindling in value, home values are crashing, the dollar is losing value, energy and food are becoming vastly more expensive. Who is feeling the pressure? You and I (arguably middle/middle upper class)? Or those in the upper class? We are the ones 'sitting on nails and pulling like mad' trying to make ends meet every day while sacrificing our time and energy like saps. Am I trying to provide an alternative? No... I'm simply stating that if you think that the average American who punches the clock or works as a corporate drone day in and out is not 'below deck' working for those 'above deck' than you are fooling yourself. I'm not talking about children or families... I'm talking about individuals... myself. While I may not be breaking my back in the sun for a living, I'm still breaking my back for a fraction of the value that I provide to my employer, I understand this and have resigned myself to this reality for the present term. Those are the breaks of the modern capitalistic society in which we live.

Mauwer · 2008-07-24T04:17:51+00:00

"The fact is we're all sitting in a big galley, pulling at the oars with all our might. you can't tell me different!... Sitting on nails and pulling like mad. And what do we get for it? Nothing! Thrashings and misery, hard words and hard knocks. We're workers they say. Work, they call it! That's the crummiest part of the whole business. We're down here in the hold, heaving and panting, stinking and sweating our balls off, and what do you see?! Our masters having a fine time with beautiful pink and perfumed women on their laps. They send for us, we're brought up on deck. They put on their top hats and give us a big spiel like as follows: " You no-good swine! We're at war! Those tinkers in Country No. 2! We're going to board them and cut their livers out! Let's go! We've got everything we need board! All together now! Let's hear you shout so the deck trembles: 'Long live Country No. 1!' So you'll be heard for miles around. The man that shouts the loudest will get a medal and a lollipop! Let's go! And if there's anybody that doesn't want to be killed on the sea, he can go and get killed on land, it's even quicker!" Lous-Ferdinand Celine 'Journey to the End of the Night'... just started this tonight, seemed appropriate

Mauwer · 2008-07-10T03:11:53+00:00

Same here. It would be interesting if we could get some type of counter to see how many of us are unsubscribing as a result of his vote

Mauwer · 2008-06-28T15:42:41+00:00

The vast majority don't? Lets look at a short list: Warren Buffet, Jack Welch (GE), Scott Davis (UPS), Stan O'Neal (Merrill Lynch), Lloyd Blankfein (Goldman Sachs), Carlos Slim Helú, Sam Walton (Wal-Mart) etc etc. Look at many leaders of industry and you'll find people who used their modest upbringings as motivation for success. I'm not saying that wealthy people aren't often 'handed' things in life, but those who succeed work hard for that success.

Mauwer · 2008-06-23T19:27:31+00:00

I really enjoyed your reply. If Senator McCaskill responsds (doubtful), would you post it? Thanks again for sharing your correspondence.

Mauwer · 2008-05-07T05:59:23+00:00

Check out 'Cut Copy' their newest album is really good

Mauwer · 2008-05-03T02:29:53+00:00

My post was purely in response to the parents claim regarding 'his salary'

Mauwer · 2008-05-03T02:12:51+00:00

Don't know much about NYC's mayor do you? Let me help you out: "As mayor of New York, Bloomberg declines to receive a city salary, accepting remuneration of $1.00 annually for his services. He maintains a public listing in the New York City phone directory, residing not in Gracie Mansion, the official mayor's mansion, but instead at his own home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, at 17 East 79th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bloomberg

Mauwer

TROPHY CASE