Is there `Enough to go Around'?

Why are there so many working people where the jobs pay barely enough to live on. My supervisor only makes 25k a year, you can imagine what us rank and file workers make. In this economy, that kind of pay is a pathetic joke. Is it because there is not enough `money'? Or is it because there are not enough `resources'? or is it because we lack the `production capability'? And then, not to pick on anyone, but you have sports stars making millions a year, CEO's making millions a year, etc. Is there really only enough to go around for just a small percentage of the population? If that is the case, why are so many people working so many hours a week, what is the point if there is not enough to go around anyway no matter how hard you work. It seems that too much income potential is based on `popularity', there is no fair system to compensate based on actual work. ie; who is the best Clarinet player? They have worked real hard, but I'm sure they aren't making 5 million a year.

Answer:
There is both a long run and short run view of the economy.

In the short run, class identity, custom, culture are all fixed. Most people obtain the status they were born into, through social networks like schools or clubs or even churches. Within these constraints, people compete for education, jobs and customers, but mobility is not great in the US. Every once and while in the long run, the old systems need to be refreshed and classes change (our most recent revolutionaries were Bill Gates).

You won't hear these arguments often. You mostly will here people say that people are poor because they are lazy, even though the worst and hardest jobs go to the poor. Then they will be forced to say that people have an innate productivity that for some reason is not competed away, even though competition is the cornerstone to economic efficiency.
Their is always plenty to go around. People accept jobs and stay with them based on their own self image. The real question to ask is "why do people stay on jobs where they perceive they are underpaid?
What is the difference between Bill Gates and a person that stays at a $15000/yr job? If you can understand that, you will know the answer to your question.
Maybe because you are working for a company involved in an industry where there are a lot of players. What would normally happen is that this company will try and minimize its operating expense to keep the bottom figures in black.

How come your supervisor earn 25K annually, simply because his skill is pretty much normal and abundant in supply. Compared to a CEO with technical background that only a handful of them has had education about it.

Your question can be answered by the Law of Supply and Demand. That is why popular athlete are paid hefty because fans demand and are willing to pay just to see their athlete do his ware.

As to is there enough for everyone? well, nowadays, you have to be very innovative, you need to constantly educate yourself to keep up. Sooner or later there will be a glut somewhere and there just wont be enough for everyone.

let us make an example, i know this is bs. but prices of gasoline has been rising, why? because more demand less supply, so it either means that production is low and dmeand is just to high, if this continues and assuming that indeed supply is low, we are facing a huge problem when wells dry up. so there is not enough for everybody.

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