And Senator McConnell isn’t the only one. But if we are
going to focus on salaries, perhaps we should go back to the last bailout bill.
Have you ever wondered what Japanese bankers make?
According
to a November 28, 2008 Wall Street Journal Story, executives at banks in Japan make A LOT less than their US counterparts. The gap is huge, as Mitsubishi
UFJ Financial Group can attest. Japan's biggest bank by market
capitalization, paid a total of $8.1 million for 14 top executives in the
fiscal year ended March 31, according to a regulatory filing.
But at Morgan Stanley, in which MUFG acquired a 21% stake in September,
John Mack, the chief executive, alone took home five times that amount -- $41.4
million -- in the year ended Nov. 30, 2006. His pay was cut to $1.6 million
last year after the company posted a quarterly loss and he declined a bonus.
On average, chief executives at Japanese companies with more than $10
billion in annual revenues are paid about $1.3 million a year, including
bonuses and stock-option grants, according to Towers Perrin, a consulting firm,
based on data gathered between 2004 and 2006. But chiefs in the U.S. are paid about $12 million, and chiefs in Europe are paid $6 million.
So,
instead of only punishing the blue collar workers in this country who are
struggling to stay in the middle class, let’s start making Japanese salaries
for everyone. Which bank do you think Senator McConnell should call first?