Relative Worth

The manner in which the media treats the so-called large bonuses to corporate executives bothers me because it lacks perspective. Therefore, I submit the following two comparisons.

The lifetime earnings of Thomas Edison, Charles Steinmetz, Albert Einstein, or perhaps Jonas Salk, were exceeded by the 1985 bonus of Roger B. Smith of General Motors.

But . . .

Chrysler’s Lee Iacocca’s seven-year cumulative bonuses for saving billions of capital and thousands of jobs was exceeded by the fee paid to either Thomas Hearns or Marvelous Marvin Hagler for beating on each other for seven minutes.

These two simple comparisons clearly depict our society for future generations.

NORTON L. MOISE

Pacific Palisades