There was a good deal of discussion in the media over “unfair” pensation, especially in light of the bonuses, golden parachutes, and other forms of remuneration received by CEOs during the bailout.

I have yet to hear plaint about CEOs being underpaid, though.

But this might change as it es apparent that pensation of executives might well be a way to wriggle out of higher payroll tax liability. Consider the case of CPA David Watson, who “incurred the wrath of the IRS by only paying himself $24,000 a year and declaring the rest of his take profit.” The Slashdot piece makes pelling conceptual connection between Watson’s case and that of “the much ballyhooed $1 Executive club like Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Sergey Brin, Larry Page, and Eric Schmidt.”

The e of this? According to a WSJ overview of the Watson case, “Pay can vary—but it can’t be too low.”

I think if we follow the golden rule we’ll get a golden mean for the golden parachute so that it won’t strangle the golden goose.