Latest news with #TunnelVision
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
If Every Worker in America Earned the Same Paycheck, What Would Happen to the Economy?
Imagine an America where the CEO of a tech giant takes home the same salary as a grocery store cashier. Where software engineers, janitors, teachers and hedge fund managers all earn the exact same paycheck. It's a radical idea, and one that's gaining attention thanks to people like Madeline Pendleton, founder of Tunnel Vision, a clothing company where every employee, including Pendleton herself, is paid the same wage. Profits are shared, and there's a five-year plan to distribute ownership equally. It's an especially compelling idea when you consider that most working Americans are struggling to get by, while CEOs were paid 351 times as much as the typical worker in 2020, according to the Economic Policy Institute. But what would happen if this model were scaled up, not just to one business, but to the entire U.S. economy? Find Out: Read Next: The short answer: The results would be complicated, and maybe even chaotic. Chris Motola, a financial analyst with explains that the impact of every worker in the U.S. drawing the same salary is very different than every worker within a single company drawing the same salary. 'A socialist company like Tunnel Vision is still competing within a capitalist economy,' he said. 'Blown out to the national level, this technically wouldn't even be socialism, but a strictly enforced compensation regime.' Pendleton's model thrives partly because it exists within capitalism. Her employees benefit from equitable treatment and profit-sharing, but the business still competes on the open market. When you remove individual compensation differences across the entire workforce, say, by mandating a single national wage, it changes everything. What Happens to Motivation and Performance? One of the biggest challenges in a flat-pay society is motivation. If no matter how hard (or little) you work, you earn the same as everyone else, what's the incentive to go above and beyond? 'The immediate question is, 'How would such a society provide extrinsic motivation if it can't offer different levels of financial compensation to workers at the individual level?'' Motola said. He proposes a few scenarios. One is to treat the nation like a giant corporation, where GDP gains and sovereign wealth fund profits are distributed as bonuses, meaning everyone is a stockholder. Another is to provide nonfinancial incentives like status, land or flexibility. But both ideas raise further questions: Who decides who gets what perks? What keeps people from burning out when their extra effort brings them no extra pay? 'High performers and low performers would receive the same compensation, however, which could lead to resentment and burnout,' Motola noted. Discover More: Would Markets Still Exist? Even in a flat-pay society, people would likely still want to build wealth. If investment and ownership remain possible, a new class divide could simply emerge between those who invest wisely and those who don't (or can't afford to). 'Does the market still exist? Can people still invest? If so, investors could potentially earn a higher income beyond their salary,' Motola pointed out. So even if salaries were equal, inequalities could persist, just in different forms. Capital investment, property ownership and other private ventures might become the new dividing lines. The End of the Hustle Economy One immediate effect of wage flattening could be the collapse of the hustle economy. No more side gigs for extra income, because everyone already earns the same. That might sound great to burned-out workers, but it could also stifle innovation. Still, there's potential upside: more collaboration and less competition. Without the pressure to outperform for promotions or raises, people might focus on meaningful work, not just lucrative work. Slower, but Possibly Fairer Decision-Making A national flat-pay system would likely eliminate traditional corporate hierarchies, or at least remove pay as the incentive for climbing them. 'The main value proposition of hierarchy, including economic hierarchy, is that it provides a quicker, more efficient decision-making apparatus than resolving things by committee,' Motola said. 'The flipside is that a bad despot can do far more damage than a bad committee.' With equal pay, leadership roles may still exist but they'd be chosen for trust or skill, not compensation. That could lead to slower processes but potentially more democratic workplaces. Utopian or Unworkable? Ultimately, paying every worker in America the same salary would require a fundamental restructuring of how we define value, ambition and success. Changing every worker's salary to a flat rate would go well beyond payroll. It would require a fundamental reset of cultural norms around value, ambition and success. Pendleton's Tunnel Vision proves that an equal-pay model can work on a small scale, with buy-in from everyone involved. But scaling that model to an entire nation? As Motola put it, 'Long story short: It's an unworkable scenario.' Still, it's a compelling thought experiment and one that forces us to confront the values embedded in our paychecks, and to ask whether equality always has to come at the expense of incentive, or if we just need a new kind of incentive altogether. More From GOBankingRates 10 Genius Things Warren Buffett Says To Do With Your Money This article originally appeared on If Every Worker in America Earned the Same Paycheck, What Would Happen to the Economy?
Miami Herald
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Kodak Black just got a key to his hometown. Not everyone is congratulating him
Kodak Black's got a new piece of hardware to add to his collection. On Tuesday, the rapper born Bill Kapri received the key to the city of his hometown of Pompano Beach, Fla. The city's official Instagram page shared a picture of Black standing in between Mayor Rex Hardin and City Manager Greg Harrison, a huge grin on his face. The post begins by lauding the 28-year-old local, who 'has never forgotten where he comes from.' The list of the 'Tunnel Vision' singer's good deeds include donating A/C units to families during the hottest months, handing out hundreds of turkeys and gifts during the holidays and paying rent for more than 200 people in need, the caption noted. Nice to see Black making headlines for the right reasons. The hip-hopper certainly has had his share of legal problems, having been arrested multiple times starting in 2015. Prior charges have included assault, robbery, kidnapping, false imprisonment, driving with a suspended license and more. In November 2019, Black was sentenced to nearly four years in prison after admitting he falsified information on federal forms to buy firearms from a South Florida gun shop two separate times. In January 2021, then-President Donald Trump commuted his sentence. About three months after being sprung, Black was back in court to face charges of rape and sexual assault stemming from a 2016 incident with a young woman at a hotel in South Carolina. He copped a plea deal on a lesser charge of first degree assault and battery, receiving 18 months probation. Many commenters on Tuesday's Instagram post were confused as to why he got such an honor. 'There are much more deserving people [who] should be recognized. Do better Pompano.' 'We have lost our way.' 'Pompano down bad if this [is] their model citizen.' 'Not good representation.' Black did have his share of defenders, though: 'A lot of people hating not understanding that this man is nowhere near perfect,' wrote one, 'but still manages to help his community to the best of his ability.'
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
Prime Playlist Shuffle: Beach Bunny frontwoman Lili Trifilio on album
ABC News' Linsey Davis spoke with Lili Trifilio, frontwoman of Chicago indie-rock band Beach Bunny, about their third album 'Tunnel Vision' and their focus on including mental health in songwriting. June 12, 2025
Tom's Guide
05-06-2025
- Tom's Guide
NordVPN achieves excellent results in latest security and performance evaluation
NordVPN has announced the results of an independent test assessing its performance and security. The test was conducted by West Coast Labs in March 2025 and praised NordVPN's strong results, cementing its reputation as the best VPN on the market. West Coast Labs carried out the evaluation under AMTSO (Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization) guidelines and examined NordVPN's performance across key technical categories. Speed, security, and reliability were the main focuses and NordVPN was put up against three randomly selected, undisclosed, competitors. West Coast Labs conducted the test on NordVPN's Windows 10 and 11 VPN applications, using a high-speed 1 Gbps connection. Main areas of focus included: Split tunneling and the kill switch were confirmed to be working and secure. For the most secure VPNs, a functioning and reliable kill switch is a non-negotiable feature. It cuts your internet connection should your VPN fail, ensuring your data is never unprotected. Auto-launch on boot and auto-connect were also examined and performed consistently and correctly. The Ookla speed test tool was used to measure VPN speeds, latency, and connection time. The regions tested were the UK, France, Netherlands, Germany, East Asia, Australia (east coast), and the U.S. (west coast). NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs and the highest download speed recorded in this test was 920 Mbps – recorded on a U.S. server. This is just short of the 950+ Mbps we found in our own testing. Compared to the undisclosed competitors, NordVPN delivered 15.2% faster downloads, 12.4% faster uploads, and 7.9% lower latency. The average time for NordVPN to establish a secure, encrypted tunnel was 1.67 seconds. West Coast Labs noted this was 36.1% faster than the industry average. This was measured from the moment a user initiated a connection to the point when traffic was securely routed through the VPN. Eight separate leak scenarios were tested, including IP address, DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leak checks, as well as protection during server switching, Wi-Fi hotspot changes, and mobile data transitions. Two advanced cases were also tested. This was a split-tunneling flaw and the TunnelVision attack – a known vulnerability that can be particularly challenging to defend against. All scenarios were passed with good marks, demonstrating NordVPN's class-leading privacy and security. Some websites may identify the fact you're using a VPN and a small number might even block you from accessing the site. West Coast Labs tried to access 100 of the most visited websites, both before and after connecting to NordVPN. There was a 100% success rate, with all sites remaining accessible. However, some CAPTCHA challenges were experienced. Finally, NordVPN had a minimal impact on system performance. Compared to no VPN connection, memory usage increased by 1.1% and processor usage increased by 3.8%. If you want to see more detail, you can read the West Coast Labs report in full. "Independent testing is one of the most honest measures of our work," said Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN. "This evaluation confirms that NordVPN delivers strong security while maintaining high levels of speed and usability – a result we're proud to stand behind." "We design it to work quietly in the background – quick to connect, light on system resources, and ready to protect across a range of scenarios, including those that test for serious vulnerabilities like TunnelVision. It's good to see those goals confirmed." NordVPN regularly undergoes independent audits, verifying its commitment to privacy and security. At the end of 2024, it had its no-logs policy audited for a fifth time, as well as its security credentials – both audits yielded positive results. We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
Express Tribune
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Kodak Black reunites with childhood babysitter who shares emotional prayer during Golden Acres community visit
Rapper Kodak Black, born Dieuson Octave, had an emotional reunion with his childhood babysitter in Golden Acres, Florida. The encounter occurred during a community event where the artist paid rent for over 200 families, highlighting his ongoing commitment to giving back. As reported by VIA-X and widely shared on social media, Kodak's former babysitter approached him during the outreach and offered a heartfelt prayer of support. 'They trying to mess you up but they can't, God is with you,' she told him, expressing her continued faith in his resilience. She also added, 'I love you baby,' to which Kodak, visibly moved, replied, 'Thank you, thank you.' Raised in Golden Acres by his single mother, Haitian immigrant Marcelene Octave, Kodak faced early hardships shaped by poverty and crime. Community figures like his babysitter provided rare but lasting guidance. Her recent words suggest she recognized his potential even then, praying for his protection through adversity. Kodak first gained national attention with breakout tracks like 'No Flockin' and 'Tunnel Vision.' While his career has been marked by legal troubles, including probation violations and weapons charges, he has also received clemency—most notably from former President Donald Trump in 2021—and remained active in music and philanthropy. Beyond his success in hip-hop, Kodak has shown growing interest in community uplift. His actions—such as funding scholarships and early childhood programs—reflect a desire to support others facing the struggles he once knew.
