This letter is in response to the wire reports concerning New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning agreeing to a six-year, $97 million contract extension appearing in all media outlets across the country.
In these times of economic desperation, with so many unemployed being unable to feed, clothe and shelter themselves and/ or their families, it is an absolute outrage that something like this can still occur in the United States.
One of the most disturbing facts about our capitalist nation is the misappropriation of funds directed to the salaries of entertainers. Everyone should agree that the value an athlete, movie star, talk-show host, team owner, etc., brings to the average citizen is very small. Granted, they do offer a minuscule of diversion from our daily trials and tribulations, as did the jesters in the king’s court during the Middle Ages. But to allow these entertainers to horde such great amounts of wealth at the expense of more benevolent social programs is unacceptable.
Our society is also subjected to the “profound wisdom” of these people because it equates wealth with influence. Perhaps a solution to this problem and an alternative to defeated school levies and crumbling infrastructures—as well as all the programs established to help feed, clothe and shelter those who cannot help themselves— would be to tax this undeserved wealth.Entertainers could keep 1 percent of their gross earnings and 99 percent could be deposited into the public coffers.
As Congress considers
limiting the amount of pay given to corporate executives, they should
decide instead to raise the taxes on these banksters and the socalled
entertainment industry.
The old ideas of the redistribution of
wealth have failed, and it is time to adapt to modern-day preferences.
Does anyone think this will reduce the quality of entertainment? It
seems to me that when entertainers received less income, the quality
was much higher.
Joe Bialek
Cleveland, Ohio