Letters – Older Workers, CEO Pay, Social Security, John Cornyn, Ted Cruz, Ancestral Past

Older workers are valuableRe: "Here's a big reason to keep working," by Mitchell Schnurman, Sunday Business column.Thanks for highlighting the benefits of hiring older workers. Having worked with hundreds of older job-seekers, I've met many with excellent skill sets who would make a great addition to any workplace. Research shows that older workers stay in jobs longer, take fewer days off and have strong work ethics. Older workers bring a level of experience, critical thinking and sheer knowledge that, in many cases, cannot be taught. And multigenerational teams — blending older and younger workers — give companies a competitive advantage by accessing a wider range of ideas and knowledge from a broader group of people. However, many older job-seekers — especially those who haven't looked for a job in recent years — lack up-to-date skills for the job search. That's why the Senior Source hosts job fairs, offers free training on how to use LinkedIn and write effective resumes, and teaches best practices for connecting with hiring managers in the new digital environment. Employers, we stand ready to help match you with potential employees who will meet and exceed your needs. And our services are free. Don't overlook older job-seekers — as our clients will tell you, they make great employees.Julie M. Krawczyk, Dallas, director of Elder Financial Safety Center at the Senior SourceAdvice to the next generationThere's a tremendous amount of information available to anyone nearing Social Security eligibility to consider when it's best to take benefits. Mitchell Schnurman references author and economist Laurence Kotlikoff multiple times as advocating waiting until 70 the "best bet for most people," yet only a small percentage do. Should I worry about dying broke at 90 or enjoy the money in my 60s?I happily took benefits at 64 and have never looked back. Today's millennial generation has a great advantage with the Internet and access to information to invest early and often as a way to reduce reliance on entitlements. Find someone to mentor you — parents, friends, teachers. You'll be miles ahead.Jon Hasenohrl, CorinthAbout that CEO payRe: "Most execs brought home more pay in 2018 — Decor chain chief bumps AT&T executive from highest-paid spot," Sunday Business story.In the 1950s a typical CEO was compensated 20 times that of his company's average worker. In the 1970s the ratio was 30:1. In a recent article, Forbes reported that the average CEO pay at an S&P 500 firm was almost $14 million and 361 times more than the average worker. I saw recently that the Disney CEO made $66 million last year. That's 1,435 times the median pay of a Disney employee.The gigantic leap in the disparity between CEO pay and that of the average worker is attributable in part to very generous and easily attainable incentive stock option packages given to them by friendly boards of directors. Also, CEOs have managed to gain rock star status in the business world. However, some question their actual impact on the success of their company: too much credit in good times and too much blame in bad times.Is the huge gap between CEO compensation and that of the average worker the sole cause of growing income inequality in America? No, but it's not unfair to say it's a contributing factor.Fred R. Neary, Far North DallasWhy include part-time workers?This story has lots of data on CEO pay. However, I would have to challenge the CEO pay to median employee pay chart. Median pay for J.C. Penney Co. Inc. was listed at $12,939. If this is a full-time employee, working 49 weeks a year at 36 hours a week would mean the hourly pay was $7.33. If a 40-hour week was used, the hourly pay would be $6.60.For Cinemark Holdings Inc. the $8,626 median pay would yield: 36-hour week $4.89; 40-hour week $4.40. So the numbers tell me that many of the numbers are comparing part-time workers and/or young first-job workers to long-term CEOs. This just makes no sense. I would assume many of the CEOs started on the bottom, got educated and worked their way of the ladder — the American way. The author needs to re-look at the data to make a reasonable comparison.Garry Beckham, PlanoSenators know McConnell won't actRe: "An act to help migrant families," by Sen. John Cornyn, Sunday Letters.In Cornyn's response to Marsha Fishman's letter, he states that he sponsored the HUMANE Act of 2019 that primarily amends provisions of the Act already on the books. Cornyn is well aware that this bill will pass the House, but die in the Senate because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will continue to obstruct the work of the Senate, as he has done for over 11 years. The House has passed over 100 bills this session that McConnell refuses to put up for a vote and both of our senators are complicit with this inaction. Recent letters complain that Texas senators are not doing their job. Ted Cruz has never been popular in Washington or Texas, but he got re-elected. If you are not satisfied with public officials who don't answer letters or phone calls, visit Dallas for fundraisers but never have town hall meetings, and only show up before elections because keeping their job is the top priority, please stop voting for them.Audrey Monlezun, DallasTime to drop 'reparations'?Re: "Get a grip," by John Raymond Jagger, Saturday Letters.I agree wholeheartedly what is in one's ancestral past should not be held accountable for for something that happened over 150 years ago. While we're on the subject, should this not be the time to drop the idea of "reparations" for things that happened in the same time period in history?Michael Campione, Plano  Continue reading...