Want to know how screwed up this country is?

[Sports Guy]

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Madoff-Points-Fingers-at-Banks-Wants-to-Teach-Ethics-119537264.html

First of all...Madoff teaching an ethics course? Really?

Also, I heard last night that Rutgers Univ paid 32K to have Snooki come speak at the school.

They also had Toni Morrison come speak at the school. She got paid 30K.

Toni Morrison has won the Nobel Peace Prize and the Pulizter Prize.

What the hell is wrong with this country that a white trash girl from NJ gets paid more to speak at a college than a Nobel Peace prize winner?

[TonySoprano]

When you send in your taxes by April 15th, don't forget the top tax man, Treasury Sec. Geitner is a former tax evader. The Nobel Peace prize has been a joke for a while. Snooki at Rutgers is low-level distraction by comparison.

[MurphDogg]

When you send in your taxes by April 15th, don't forget the top tax man, Treasury Sec. Geitner is a former tax evader.

That is certainly debatable. I don't think everybody that screws up their taxes qualifies as a tax evader.

[MikeAD]

Speaking of Snooki and her appearance earnings..

I decided to not go into the office yesterday and just work for a few hours from home and try to have a day for myself. I saw on the web that Mike "Situation" from Jersey Shore made 5 Million bucks in 2010 and apparently Kim Kardashian made more. That blew my mind, especially as hard as I have been working recently. I won't make 5 million in my life time and this guy from a reality show is making bank. :vader:

[ledzepp8]

Speaking of Snooki and her appearance earnings..

I decided to not go into the office yesterday and just work for a few hours from home and try to have a day for myself. I saw on the web that Mike "Situation" from Jersey Shore made 5 Million bucks in 2010 and apparently Kim Kardashian made more. That blew my mind, especially as hard as I have been working recently. I won't make 5 million in my life time and this guy from a reality show is making bank. :vader:

Agreed with the above...it's BS. The Situation is famous for being one of a handful of morons on a moronic show, which airs on the ironically (or is it moronically) titled Music TeleVision.

Kim Kardashian is famous for being rich, just like Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, etc.

The silver lining is that people like the Situation are usually the kind of idiots that make all of this money and then end up bankrupt.

[Stotle]

At the end of the day, this country has voted with its wallet time and time again that it values entertainment over, basically, anything else. I mean, how can I get angry at Snookie making $32,000 for an appearance when Manny Ramirez was paid around $90,000 for his 2011 "contributions" to the Rays?

Think about how much money is made in the entertainment industries (movie, video game, music, porn, sport, etc.). Entertainment and "celebrity" have ruled the US since the 20th century, and will continue to do so as long as Americans have disposable income and a desire to be famous themselves.

[Can_of_corn]

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Madoff-Points-Fingers-at-Banks-Wants-to-Teach-Ethics-119537264.html

First of all...Madoff teaching an ethics course? Really?

Also, I heard last night that Rutgers Univ paid 32K to have Snooki come speak at the school.

They also had Toni Morrison come speak at the school. She got paid 30K.

Toni Morrison has won the Nobel Peace Prize and the Pulizter Prize.

What the hell is wrong with this country that a white trash girl from NJ gets paid more to speak at a college than a Nobel Peace prize winner?

From what I understand the students invited Snooki and paid the fee not the school. While I don't agree with the students choice I don't think its valid to compare her appearance fee to Toni Morrison's fee.

[TonySoprano]

That is certainly debatable. I don't think everybody that screws up their taxes qualifies as a tax evader.
How about people who don't pay their back taxes supposedly because of the statute of limitations?

[SammyBirdland]

$5 Gas By Memorial Day (http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/04/11/gas-prices-climbing-toward-5-per-gallon/)