I think the salaries for every talking head should be posted on the screen..

[HardWorkingDem]

When listening to the talking heads on television, I have come to believe their salaries should be posted on the screen beneath their names. Not only that, the names of their spouses and their incomes as well.

I get so sick and tired of watching these elite people comment on shit that they don't even touch on a daily basis and maybe if their incomes were broadcast, more of the American people would understand just how out of touch they are.

[Hardrada]

1. That's an excellent idea. The only one I've heard is the 5 million

a year for Chris Matthews.

[Rex]

3. Glenn Beck signed a 50 million deal with CNN, don't know for how many years.

[gatorboy]

6. I love it. CNN accuses MSNBC of being bias and then pays someone like Beck $50 million.

:eyes:

[HardWorkingDem]

5. I've heard of a few of them...

Some salaries are released from time to time...Anderson Cooper's was not too long ago, as was Matt Lauer's and some others. But I'd love to learn how much people like Andrea Mitchell are worth.

I especially love it when they claim to get out there and "talk' to the American people. Yeah, right....

[Greyhound]

16. Hugh Downs was paid over $20M a year for flying in to NY once a week

to records the intros to whichever (60 minutes or 20/20) of the "news magazine" shows he did. Barbra was paid even more and Ed just a little less.

Few of the sheeple have any idea what their masters think of as "fair" pay.

[ColbertWatcher]

2. LOL!

What about NASCAR-like uniforms showing who they really work for!

[sandnsea]

7. Politicians should wear them too n/t

[lapfog_1]

4. They COMPLETELY understand the common person...

they can cry in their beer with one of us and tell us how their mansion dropped in value from $11M to $8M in the last year or so...

Because they really GET IT... they do! they do!

And, oh, BTW... :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[MonkeyFunk]

8. That's silly

You think you can really tell that much about someone by their salary? And would many viewers be surprised to learn that TV personalities make a lot of money?

[Bjorn Against]

11. Well if they are going to accuse progressives of being "latte drinking elitists"...

Then yes, I think we can tell a lot about them by their salaries. If they are accusing those on the left of elitism while raking in seven figure incomes themselves it shows who the real elitists are.

[MonkeyFunk]

12. So making money is what qualifies one as a elitist?

Then Jimmy Carter, Bruce Springsteen and Tim Robbins are certainly big elitists. Ted Kennedy the biggest of them all!

[Bjorn Against]

14. Well money is certainly part of it...

I am not saying everyone who has money is an elitist, but I am saying that someone with a seven figure income should not be attacking anyone else for being elitist.

[HardWorkingDem]

15. Missing a big part of it...

The actions of those you mentioned show exactly where they stand on issues, while every single day we have these wealthy people espousing on all sorts of things while in one way we don't know if they have a clue or not.

For example, can you imagine people like Andrea Mitchell really know what it is like to raise a family, deal with a home life, do all that comes with that, while holding down a 40 hr a week job? I would bet my left hand that this woman has a driver, people in her home that do her cooking and cleaning and has no idea what it is like for regular people to get by.

Not only that, look at how many of these people are rambling on about the high cost of fuel and food. NONE of this touches these people in the least, but they feel the need to comment on it by claiming they "talk" to people?

[TwixVoy]

13. No, not tell a lot about them

but the OP has a good point.

I don't want to hear someone making 5 mil/year complaining about the poor or asking questions like "Why do they need government assistance? I get by just fine on my small salary"

The fact is a lot of these TV commentators are NOT on the side of the poor/middle class, and seeing how much they pull in each year would put the comments they make in perspective for the general public.

[Richard Steele]

9. I think that's a great idea. K&R

[cayuga]

10. We need the papparazzi to step up.

They are sadly wasted on the likes of Britney, Lindsay and Angelina.

I believe that those overpaid talking heads (I heard that Shepard Smith makes 9 million a year) who accept money to spew the government's talking points should be subject to public scrutiny.

I want to know more about these people who feel it is their job to change what is, and has been, good about this country. If one is a propagandist, their every move is fair game.

[LanternWaste]

17. Or post the salaries, addresses and telephone numbers of everyone

Or post the salaries, addresses and telephone numbers of everyone-- not sim ply those we disagree with, but every damn person-- ourselves included as I'm sure there's a pretty large swath of demographics we're out of touch with also.

[HardWorkingDem]

18. To add more credance to this belief - Obama "bitter" remarks and press coverage..

One large point I left out to show why I think pundits and big media people need to show their salaries is the disconnect they had when Obama made his "bitter" remarks.

I grew up in labor towns with relatives and friends who worked in labor jobs. I remember when the union workers would lose their jobs or go on strike and when they did permanently lose their jobs through what they perceived as unfair labor practices, they did become bitter. Just as when the had to remain on strike.

Now, contrast this to the media coverage of Obama's remarks. Those pundits evidently had a huge disconnect over the meaning of his words. And this is just one more reason why their salaries should be publicized.

[Not the Only One]

19. The problem with that

The reason those people are making a killing is because the broadcast companies are making even more of a killing. The TV news personalities are just trying to get a small fraction of the fortune they helped create. It's actually pretty progressive because the alternative would be the equivalent of sweat shops where people on TV work for pennies and the companies are wiping their asses with hundred dollar bills.

[yurbud]

20. when you watch the BBC you don't get the sense that the on air people are celebrities

and probably aren't paid as much as a consequence.

Probably because actual NEWS is the news instead of celebrity mannequins propped us to tell us as little as possible and that untrue.