In 2004 a Swiss banker defined the upper classes' demand for ever higher wages as "a call for class warfare from above". (Baer) The new decade has seen protest against a growing discrepancy in wealth. The global financial crisis has exacerbated the already evident fiscal gap. Ideological thinkers have been struggling to resolve this gap for centuries. Switzerland has currently attempted to regulate monetary gaps by banning bonuses and requiring shareholder consensus in important decisions. A recent proposal also suggests implementing an initiative that “would allow companies to reward the best-paid workers no more than 12 times the worst-paid one.” (Stamm) This measure evokes feelings similar to those evoked by historical ideologies. The social problems that Locke and Bernstein attempted to address with liberalism and social democracy respectively are manifest in the recent discussion of Swiss wage initiatives. This validates the relevance of their ideological arguments because social issues of private property, the value of labor, and ethical concerns surrounding wealth persist in current political discourse. The current issues of ostentatious wealth, tax practices, and wage settings, which are at issue in Switzerland, invites examination through the lens of John Locke's liberalism. The principles of liberal ideology and the ideas articulated in Locke's writings are applicable to both sides of the issue. Some in Switzerland say companies would leave or be attracted to development in the country because of the new laws. Johann Scheider-Ammann, head of the Swiss Department of Economics, Education and Research, noted that failure to pass the law "will be... middle of paper... He could also criticize the gross conduct -payment, which probably distances direct links between work and value of payment. Bernstein would most likely support the measure, which is ethically inclined and democratic in nature, indicating an evolution towards socialism from capitalism. Both perspectives offer useful arguments, which remain relevant to modern research of modest and reasonable acquisition of wealth and global financial security. Works Cited Baer, ​​H. (2004) It's Not All About the Money: Memoirs of a Private Banker. (1689). Second Treaty on Government. (Paragraph 33). Wall Street Journal Stamm, P. (2013, November 22). ). Why the Swiss despise the super-rich. New York Times