"there are at least a handful of upper income folks who do, indeed, put in long, long hours and work very ,very hard, even to the extent of losing families and leisure time, etc..."
Well, for one thing, I don't doubt that the work of exploiting labor can be "hard" and time-consuming for those at the top of the ladder.
Another thing about people putting in miserably long, yet well-compensated, hours: A friend floated a theory to me that I've come to put a lot of credence in. The so-called "workaholics" in upper management--those who stay into the office late at night, forfeiting their childrens' birthdays and that sort of thing because of deadlines or whatever else--isn't it possible that these people simply appear to be dedicated hard-workers, when in fact the reason they stay in the office most of the time is because they're in love with the power they wield over others as long a sthey're in there?
A lot of folks in upper managerial positions seem to get awfully used to giving orders, having underlings defer to them, etc. They enjoy the power. When they're out of the office, they're just another slob, like you or me. I think some people, used to bossing others around, simply can't deal with that, so they prefer to stay in the office where they can be a little tin pot dictator all they want. And it's passed off as being "dedicated to the company," etc.
Fuck bosses. =)
B