Pay shows society values teaching less

I read with interest 'What People Earn” in the Parade magazine insert in The Gazette on April 13.

I noted that a couple of teachers made around $46,000 to $48,000 and one preschool teacher about half that. On the other hand, the NFL's lowest-paid quarterback made $1.8 million, Matthew McConaughey $19 million and Sandra Bullock $63 million.

By my calculations, this means that the lowest-paid NFL quarterback is worth about 40 times the higher-paid teachers. McConaughey is worth 400 times the teachers and Bullock is worth 1,200 times the teachers. How do we value a person's contribution to society?

Don't get me wrong, I admire the work of Russell Wilson, the quarterback, and of the actors. But I can't figure out why they are worth 1,200 or 400 or even 40 teachers.

Some might say they deserve it because people are willing to pay the price of admission, but the problem is that the tickets don't really pay their salaries. Advertising makes up most of the money going to their salaries and that adds to the cost of the products that we all buy even if we don't buy tickets to see the performers.

So, clearly we live in a society that values entertainment and people who play games more than people who actually make a difference in people's lives and contribute a positive to society. This is a sad commentary on us.

Craig E. Wood

Cedar Rapids