In 2004, a Swiss banker called the upper class's demand for higher and higher wages a "call for class struggle from above" . (Baer) The new decade was marked by an outcry over a growing wealth gap. The global financial crisis has exacerbated the already large fiscal divide. Ideological thinkers have struggled for centuries to resolve this very problem. Modern Switzerland has attempted to regulate monetary divides by banning bonuses and requiring shareholder consent in major decisions. A recent proposal also suggested implementing an initiative that would “allow companies to reward their highest paid worker no more than 12 times what their lowest paid.” (Stamm) This measure evokes feelings similar to those invoked by historical ideologies. The societal problems that Locke and Bernstein attempted to solve with liberalism and social democracy respectively are manifest in the recent discussion around Swiss wage initiatives. This validates the relevance of their ideological arguments, as societal questions of private property, the value of work, and ethical concerns surrounding wealth persist in current political discourse. Current issues of conspicuous wealth, tax practices, and wage setting, which are discussed in Switzerland invite examination through the prism of John Locke's liberalism. The principles of liberal ideology and the ideas expressed in Locke's own writings are applicable to both sides of the debate. Some in Switzerland have advocated that companies would leave the country or not be incentivized to expand in the country due to the new laws. Johann Scheider-Ammann, head of the Swiss Department of Economics, Education and Research, noted that failure to adopt the law "... middle of paper ...... It could also criticizing crude-on-payment, which arguably distances direct links between labor and payment value, Bernstein would most likely support the measure, which is ethical and democratic in nature, signifying a move toward socialism from capitalism. Both perspectives offer beneficial arguments, which remain relevant to the modern search for modest and reasonable acquisition of wealth and global financial security. than a question of money: memoirs of a private banker Bernstein, E. (1909), Second treatise on government (paragraph 33). Swiss voters reject referendum on high-wage initiative aimed at limiting executive pay. Wall Street Journal Stamm, P. (2013). , November 22). Why the Swiss despise the super rich. New York Times