Decius wrote:
] ] "Sorry, guys. The pro-expense 'em forces do not care
] ] about helping investors; they care about discouraging stock
] options.
] ]
] ] "In the modern corporation, intangible assets now
] ] constitute 70% or so of the value of the company, a shift
] ] from 25 years ago, when 75% of the value was in tangible
] ] assets. By using options, companies make the creators of
] ] these intangible assets into owners, and venture
] ] capitalists make the creative classes into partners. Options
]
] ] are a complicated, but quite creative, solution to a number
] of
] ] difficult problems in the valuation of intellect-based
] assets.
] ]
] ] "The idea of making the creative classes into owners is
] ] not welcomed by old line capitalists, organized labor,
] public
] ] employees, and other power centers. Hence the fight to
] discourage
] ] options.

No shit. This is the same power structure that resists automation, innovation, and outsourcing. You can't have it both ways kids. We either decide that the US is going to be focused on leading innovation and the workforce that's needed to achieve that, or we decide to stand pat and teach our kids drill and repeat to a steam fed whistle.

The statistic that "70% of company assets are intangible" is fraud. Of course they are! Most of the US economy is represented with things like intellectual property, goodwill, R&D investment, etc. We don't have a need for a preponderance of hard assets like factories, trains, and machinery any more. Not that these assets aren't valuable as foundation infrastructure, but they've been depreciated for DECADES. Effectively off the books in terms of tangible values.