Victoria DiGiovanni
To the Editor of Hoofbeats on a topic that should be discussed: Every day doctors, police officers, lawyers, and teachers pave the way for someone’s future. Whether they are saving a life, prohibiting crime, giving someone a second chance, or educating the future leaders of America, these professions pave the way for our society to flourish. Their existence in society is vital to our existence because contribute to our full potential enabling us to live life to its fullest extent. However, these professions do not get paid nearly as much as a major league baseball player or a Hollywood actress. How many lives have they saved? Just why do they deserve the millions they are paid? $13.1 million dollars annually. That’s how much Tiger Woods makes in a year’s play of golf. What has he really done to deserve millions of dollars? Entertainment is one thing, but our society has taken it way out of proportion. Since when does an entertainer get paid more than someone who is making the world a better place, saving lives, and ensuring a prosperous future? How did this happen? It is completely illogical to give someone who appears in front of a crowd for a short period of time millions of dollars based on their ability to score a goal. What are they going to do with this money? I don’t even know what I would do with $10 if someone gave it to me. This money should be going into the hands of the people who deserve it, citizens who will recycle this money in to the betterment of our county as a whole. If doctors were paid the millions they deserve, this money would go towards medical research. If a teacher were given millions, their excess money would go towards improving education. Instead, millions of dollars are given to celebrities, like Justin Bieber, who spend it on cars, drugs, and buying more houses than they need. Back in the Middle Ages, when a king wanted to be entertained, he would hire a Jester. This jester would perform silly skits in order to make the king laugh. Where would they find this jester? The jester would be located in the poor communities among the lower class citizens. How much was he paid? Close to nothing. However, when the king was sick and needed medical attention, a doctor would be paid the highest amount in order to ensure the king were to survive.