So Many Thoughts

I always seem to have an opinion about something. Some things get me worked up, and I will tell anyone that will listen my passionate point of view. I rarely lose my temper, I just feel passion. I guess I have to feel that passion about a topic to want to express myself. I write to vent when I need to. Hopefully it won't be all negative stuff, just a place to collect my thoughts at the time. So this is not so much about my life but my personal thoughts about the world around me.

Sunday, 20 May 2007

Who Earns Their Salary?

Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Halle Berry.. just three actors that receive millions of dollars in payment for each movie they complete. Millions of dollars. For acting. They are not saving lives, perfecting cures for cancer, AIDS or even the common cold, just acting. They did not spend years in expensive university training nor do they have to put themselves in danger by working with dangerous people. Maybe they will do their own stunts, or maybe they won't even have to do that.

It's not just celebrities that are paid ridiculously high salaries though. What about M.P's or senators? Why should our politicians receive such a huge salary while they sit comfortably in their comfortable chairs, debating about what is 'best' for the rest of their constituents? Are they really working for us? We get painted a picture that they are, but if they are such caring people who want to change our society for the better for us then why do they get paid so much to do that? Shouldn'they be doing it for a modest amount so that the rest of their salary could be donated to the people in society that really need it?

How do celebrities or M.P's/senators earn their money in comparison to doctors, nurses, mental health workers, police officers, correctional officers, social workers, or other vocations that truely puts themselves in danger in order to make society a safer place for all of us. There is something grossly wrong with this picture. The world seems upside down with how we distribute salary worth. I am sure the actors that receive huge salaries are very good and deserve to be the top of their vocation, but what about the very good mental health workers? Their job is a necessity and a good community worker can change, save and mend lives and yet there is no salary recognition, no government recognition for this or other similar vocations. Obviously those in the community help vocation do not do it for the money or fame, but my point is to highlight the difference between the famous and the people who put themselves in danger to help other people.

To be clear, I am not blaming the actors for earning this money, I am blaming society for creating this injustice. I do hold the M.P's that set their salaries somewhat to blame however because they can change this by stopping to give themselves pay rises when the community servers deserve it so much more. It is totally bizarre.