Who Are We To Say Who Is Overpaid?

Investor's Business Daily ^ | 29 December 2006 | Thomas Sowell

[shrinkermd]

Perhaps it is one of the fruits of the “self-esteem” emphasis in our schools that so many people feel confident to voice strong convictions about things they know little or nothing about — or, worse yet, are misinformed about.

One of the hardest things for anyone to be informed about is the value of someone else’s productivity. Yet there are cries from all directions that some people are being paid “too much” and others “too little.” Judging Worth

Who can possibly be better informed about the value of what someone else produces than those who use the goods or services that the person provides and pay for them with their own money?

Things are worth it or not worth it to particular individuals. What these things might be worth to somebody else is irrelevant.

People who think that they, or the government, ought to be deciding how much income people make are in effect saying that they know the value of people’s output better than those who use that output and pay for it with their own money.

[Toddsterpatriot]

How many cents/share is that $400,000,000?

5.83 billion shares outstanding. Call it 7 cents per share.

What fraction of the dividend Exxon/Mobil payed out that year is $400,000?

They paid out $1.28 per share over the last year. $400,000,000 is about 5.5% of last years dividend.