Exactly. It's the modern world's equivalent of debating the number of angels capable of dancing on a pinhead. You have these chumps talking about future cash

Exactly. It's the modern world's equivalent of debating the number of angels capable of dancing on a pinhead. You have these chumps talking about future cash flows and dividend yield equivalents, all the while the board and executives march off with the actual cash. The right thing is to eliminate the tax bias towards capital gains and make dividends tax-deductible for corporations, so they have incentive to pay profits out to, you know, the owners. Basically make them act like big LLCs, which is the fair thing: why should Grandma Jones pay the same corporate rate as Mitt Romney on her investments in Coca Cola before she sees a dime? At some point it'll reverse, but it's been a good forty years, so... who knows?