A columnist responds to an April 26 Economix blog posting in the New York Times by Nancy Folbre where she discusses the issue of salary disparities between men and women and how that played a role in the recent economic meltdown. Folbre says the linkage between high pay and productivity seems to be fraying in our society, and instead people are reaping large rewards for aggressive and cynical opportunism that isn’t very socially productive. She also points out that women tend to be less aggressive and Machiavellian in business with negative impact on their pay rates. Folbre suggests creating a pay system that actually rewards productivity and penalizes bullies and cheats. (Salon.com, New York Times, 4/26/10)