June 7, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Despite the
screaming headlines, last year the high-tech industry added a
net 234,761 jobs - a 4.6% increase from a year
earlier.
California fared better than the rest of the nation last
year, adding some 101,080 jobs a 10% increase from the
prior year. Second-place Texas now has 440,718 workers in
the sector, a 4% increase in 2000. The rest of the top
five:
New York (339,131 jobs, up 1%)
Massachusetts (233,848 jobs, up 5%)
Florida (231,413 jobs, up 6%)
High-tech California workers were also high-paid,
garnering an average of $83,103 in 1999 ? up 22% from 1998
totals. Only those in Microsoft’s home state of Washington
earned more an average 1999 wage of $134,009, up 24% from
the prior year.
On a national basis, high-tech workers received a 10%
boost for an average pay of $64,863, nearly twice the
average wage of $33,220 paid in all private-sector
jobs.
Those compensation numbers include salary, bonuses and
stock options which are likely to pull those averages down
this year.
SURVEY SAYS: As we noted yesterday, our
"acronymically challenged" legislators have given us a tax
bill with a less than scintillating --or pronounceable --
name, EGTRRA ? short for the Economic Growth and Tax Relief
Reconciliation Act of 2001. Various commentators, consultants
and others have already adopted what THEY think the proper
pronunciation is --but we wanted to know what YOU
think.
Roughly a third (34%) opted for what seems to be the
most commonly used,
EGG-TRAH
, but nearly 30% opted for “other” (more on that in a
minute). More than 18% preferred
EGG-TERRA
, while 14% had “better things to do.” Roughly 4% opted for
“egg salad, by the way.
Now, as for those other choices, EGG-TRAY was the most
popular, drawing roughly half of the “other” category.
EXTRA and/or EGSTRA was a close second, with the ubiquitous
“egstra ,egstra read all about it”. Also suggested were
EGSTRACT, ECTRA 2001, DEFTRA, TaRRA 2001, EE-GOTT-TRA,
GIBIOM, E-GAHT-TRA, EE-GREET-TA and EG-CETERA. One reader
even suggested we call it :Portman/Cardin!
I am not sure if you heard or not but the technical
corrections are supposedly going to be called ERATA. So:if
we call it the EGG-TERRA ERATA it sounds kind of kinky or
like a foreign language!
Editor’s
Note: –or something out of Jurassic Park III
—–
I prefer (a) EGG-TRAY….because like a carton of eggs,
this thing (currently) has an expiration date.
—–
EE-GOTT-TRA: Because:
1. That’s what the acronym actually spells – why
complicate things.
2. It sounds like something from a bad 1950s movie, as
in: Godzilla vs. EGATRRA.
Editor’s
Note: Hey, we LIKED Godzilla –at least the old ones!
—–
I prefer to call it the Obfuscation and Confusion
Enhancement, Government Enlargement and Tax PAyer-Hostile
Act to Eliminate Growth bill.
OCEGETPHAEG = pronounceable, if you speak Kyrgystani [I
think]
The results may not be too far off from my new name.
Editor’s
Note: Or, as we like to call it, business as usual
—–
In keeping with the pronunciation of ‘YOO’ SERRA’ with
the accent on the first syllable, it should be ‘EGG’ TERRA,
also with the accent on the first syllable. These things
have to be carefully thought out, like: “tefra-defra-rea”;
which, if you put them all together, sounds like a disease.
Clearly, we don’t have enough work to do. I wish this
market would turn around.
Editor’s
Note: speaking from the perspective of a former life,
TEFRA, DEFRA, REA put together WAS a “disease”?
—–
Seems to me it’s a jumble should be reformed to
GRREAT…especially since it will probably help insure my
employment for a few more years!
—-
The Economic Growth And Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of
2001should be referred to as: E-Gaht’-Trah
This is the only acceptable pronunciation in my view,
and I will not rest until the term “Egg-Tra” -is dead and
buried!
—-
MORE VERBATIMS
—-
I prefer the EGG-TRA form for now. It is at least
concise and not confused with any other act in place now.
In our Plan the new law will only help the 2% who are at
the deferral/contribution limits under current rules.
ERISA counsel quote to amend the Plan to take advantage
of the new laws gave me the idea for the new name. I would
call it SLATWAC (slat-wac). Stands for “Short Lived Act
That Will Add Cost”
—-
I like Egg-trah since it rhymes with Hippa.
—-
I vote for (a) EGG-TRAH – as in EGG-TRAH, EGG-TRAH, read
all about it!
—-
(e) perhaps not better, but definitely more.
—-
As with all of the socialist legislation coming out of
our