GOB,
Your reference to the Green Algae in the processor does not support your claim that technology is being held back so that they can bleed money out of us. You specifically state that they didn't pursue that technology because too many Christians complained about it. Sometimes, businesses actually have to listen to their customers. Kind of like the entire Zumbo matter when he said something bad about black rifles.
Justwannano,
You are cofusing workman's comp insurance with health insurance. Workman's comp insurance covers any injury that happens on the job, and THE LAW requires all employers to have workman's comp insurance. So, workers are entirely covered for work place accidents.
Health insurance covers employees for all health problems, regardless of whether or not they were work place accidents. For instance, cancer isn't a work place accident and it isn't covered by workman's comp. Instead, it falls under the health insurance.
Now, there are plans out there like HRA's that have a high deductible health insurance plan. The deductible is usually $5,000 or more. With the money that the employer saves on the insurance coverage, the employer usually puts an amount of it back into the employees HRA account to help pay for a portion of the deductible. The employee also has the option of making pre-tax contributions to the HRA account to cover the deductible amounts. The amount in an HRA account can rollover from one year to the next, and if they employee has money left in his HRA account after retirement, the account essentially turns into and IRA.
I think the HRA is great. It requires insureds (i.e., employees) to think twice about running to the doctor for a runny nose, or for demanding uneeded prescriptions. This is a way for both the employer and the employee to pay for a portion of health care.
Let's be clear about one thing, the $6 billion cost to Ford for health care does not include workman's comp.
Regarding exec compensation, most of them get a couple of million, with bonuses based upon the company's performance. It is the select few that you hear about in the news that everybody is up in arms about, but the majority of CEO's and execs don't make anywhere near what everybody thinks they make.
Then, there is my drywall contractor that made over $1 million one year during the housing boom, and tons of money other years.
Here is an article about the Ford salaries. Don't know if I agree with it, but it does explain it a little. I could understand a big bonus if he got the company in the black, with only a couple million a year in the mean time, but what he made in 2007 is a little ridiculous.
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/04/m...lions-in-2007/