How we all can stop excessive CEO pay

Are you signing proxies for companies in which you own shares?

Do the companies pay their top executives millions of dollars each year in salaries, bonuses and stock options?

Do the recent salaries printed in the Daily Herald seem excessive to you?

Take action! Sign "no" on the proxy and send a letter explaining your reason.

Use this prototype as an outline for your own letter:

"It has come to my attention that the CEOs of our company receive exorbitant salaries and other compensation. This to me represents greed and is a form of stealing from the company, shareholders and customers. It creates class warfare and bad feelings between unions or hourly workers and their bosses. It simply is neither right nor necessary.

"I will vote "no" on all of my proxies where the CEO or board of directors or any other employee receives a higher annual salary and other compensation than the United States president.

"For your information, a CEO income of $32 million is 1,985 times the lawful minimum hourly wage.

"This employee salary discrepancy is excessively vast.

"I believe in free enterprise where business entrepreneurs with great ideas that bear enormous risk reap unlimited rewards of income.

"However, this income reward should not transfer to mere employees that rise to the height of CEO and/or board of directors.

"In light of the recent corporate trouble at Enron, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Merrill Lynch, AIG, A.G. Edwards, Wachovia, United Airlines and others, the executives with the high paid salaries should immediately insist on a self-imposed salary reduction of epic proportions.

"This action would be ethical and moral.

"Please protect our investments and stock shares form these unscrupulous greed mongrels."

Janis Schroeder

Inverness