30% Say Government Should Limit Pay for Athletes and Movie Stars

Thursday, March 26, 2009

While a great deal of public anger is focused at corporate executives these days, Johnny Depp and the Boys of Summer don’t fare much better. Thirty percent (30%) of Americans believe the government should make it illegal to pay movie stars and athletes more than $1 million per year.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 59% oppose government pay limits for film stars and jocks. There is a more support—but not much more--for capping the pay of corporate executives. Thirty-six percent (36%) say the federal government should make it illegal to pay any executive more than $1 million a year. The majority (54%), however, disagree.

Professional golfer Tiger Woods is the highest–paid athlete in America for the fifth year in a row, earning $128 million in 2007, according to Sports Illustrated. Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Eddie Murphy, Tom Cruise, John Travolta. Nicolas Cage, Julia Roberts and Will Smith are the highest-paid movie stars, earning $20 million or more per film, according to the website Hollywood.com.

John A. Thain, head of Merrill Lynch, was the highest compensated CEO in 2007, earning nearly $84 million, the New York Times reported. Merrill Lynch, facing insolvency following the collapse of the subprime mortgage market, merged with Bank of America last year. (snip)

www.rasmussenreports.com...

Damn right. Athletes and film stars are useless parasites who don't produce anything.

This is largely related to jealousy. Government should not be involved with salaries in any way shape or form. I have a hard time that people would even think about this from a government stand point. This is utterly ridiculous and for those who are the 30% are the ones who don't know what's going on.

If they fill stadiums and movie theaters with people who are willing to pay then they deserve to get what they bring in. It isnt't their fault that people are willing to pay money to be entertained. They are providing a service, and if there is demand for it, they should get paid for it, like any business would. Where do you think money that athletes and entertainers bring in shoud go? Straight to the government? Seems tyrannical to say the least.

Who are the real parasites?

[edit on 28-3-2009 by phantom23]

[edit on 28-3-2009 by phantom23]

I dont watch sports anymore due to their salaries.

Ill watch little league and things like that, but for NHL, MLB, Bastketball, all that. Watching millionaires play sports.

Maybe if it was in an arena, and axes and swords were allowed I might be more interested.

Movie stars are grossly overpaid, executives are grossly overpaid. I dont understand how people think this is "right" to do. While people around the world suffer with no food, no shelter, no medicine. Obscene is what it is.

Unless we fix how resources are used, we (human race) deserve to be wiped out. There is much good in the world, but we are heading down a path that is spreading more hate, and killing, and wasteful spending, and we havent gotten angry yet. Sure we talk, but we do nothing while the elephant is raping us from behind.

I said it somewhere else. Who goes first? Which nations peoples will get upset first and storm the palaces and governments?

This is very problematic. What if 30 percents would say that your salary (as bank manager/buisness owner/doctor/for example,does not matter) is high and government should restrict it? You think that celebreties get too much money and attention for what they worth/produce? Well i agree with you on majority of cases. But i do not agree that government should intervene. You,me (and other 30 percent) should not pay for what they produce and should not consume "gossip" stuff. Then it would naturally level out.

Athletes and movie stars are paid based on the amount of revenue they generate (or more accurately, they're contracted to be paid based on the revenue they're predicted to bring in)..

The only effect limiting their pay would have is that the executives in charge of the team francises and production companies would get the money that currently is being paid to the athletes and actors...

These executives are already the highest paid people in these industries (annually, not per game, or per film.)


So how exactly would this be fair?

What is motivating this argument? The fact tat the gov. is considering limiting ceo pay?

The difference between John Thain and Tiger woods, is that Tiger woods didn't squander a daily $52 million of other people's money from 7/07 to 7/08.


Athletes and entertainers deserve to be paid a % according to the amount of revenue they generate for their company(they usually are).. So should ceo's (this would put John Thain in debt)

I do not really care, about the movie or sports stars. If the public are dumb enough to pay for a movie or go to a game, thats there problem. What gets me, is the price we have to pay for a sh*t tv service in sky in uk. Just to get sports, we have to pay fortunes every month.

Originally posted by elston
This is largely related to jealousy.

Really? That old chestnut?

How about the fact that we live in a culture that celebrates the most ridiculous things like a pair of tits or a nice face? Which is more what most movie stars are about rather than acting ability.

As for athletes, yes a lot of the are good at what they do, but quite often what they do isn't that good - or at least it's good enough to justify their pay. Footballers (that's soccer players to North Americans) are paid a fantastically ridiculous amount of money. Now whilst I appreciate it's a bit more than just 'kicking a ball around', it no way on earth warrants what they get paid to do what they do.

What does it say about our world when even a mediocre footballers weekly wage is more than the yearly wage of a couple of nurses working in Accident & Emergency?

Originally posted by Merriman Weir

Originally posted by elston
This is largely related to jealousy.

I for one do not care what they have, i just get pissed of that we have to pay so much for things like sky tv, and movies, for nothing. I do not care about them people, but we all care about all the money we have to pay out.

You can't take their money.

I'm sure they would be shocked to see everything they had pushed for backfire on them.

Eat the rich right? Punish success.

I don't give a rats ass what they do...celebrities and athletes have no bearing on my life...the only thing that bothers me is that people spend too much time following them and not the real problems that face our country and the world.

We might want to focus on solving our own issues -
without inviting the government in to solve them for us.
Isn't it this kind of thinking that got us into this mess?

Leave the government out of it.
They are already leading us by the noose .... I mean... nose...

Originally posted by phantom23
Where do you think money that athletes and entertainers bring in shoud go? Straight to the government? Seems tyrannical to say the least.

Who are the real parasites?

Where does the money for their salaries come from?. From the taxpayers who are forced to pay for these $500,000,000 stadiums.

Originally posted by nasdack24k

The only effect limiting their pay would have is that the executives in charge of the team franchises and production companies would get the money that currently is being paid to the athletes and actors...

The way this would be done is thru a very progressive tax system and that would affect the execs too. I have no problem with 99% on all income over $10 mill.

Originally posted by David9176


Eat the rich right? Punish success.

Success? They're successful in the same sense a bank robber is successful. They have a lot of money but they didn't earn it. The people who are truly successful and deserve wealth are the producers - Famers, engineers, architects, truckdrivers, factory workers. It's people like that who produce wealth.

What an interesting topic, from the Government no less?


Well IMO the Government should mind their own dang business and stay out of anything that is not related to running the country at the sound of the people's whip .

However I cannot find enough words in the English language to express my complete bewilderment with stars salaries. These people, contribute nothing to our society as it should be.

They are tools to be used by TPTB in order to further the illusion and keep us very much "entertained" while they go around gaining ground. It simply doesn't make sense that these people's lives outside their projects would be of any significance to regular people when the world is in the state it is now.

I see this as just another way to keep people screaming and defending their precious celebrities and their neo-religious status in Western Culture.

So, in a nutshell:

Government--Stay Out Of It (You're Making A Mess Of Everything Already)

Celebrities--Stop Paying Them As Much & Keep Them Out Of The Media. ( We shouln't care at all)

~Keeper

I often think that many of the vulgarities of life could be reigned in if it was impossible to horde weath .i.e capping the ability to become a multi-millionaire or billionaire.
But it surely would just stifle creativity and innovation.

Its hard not to drift towards such thoughts, when we see the influence that those who control the flow of money, have on all our lives.

We need to change the system not just change the personal -at the top table.

It seems that very few people realize that the ones that complain about other peoples salaries are the same people that are enabling them to become so wealthy.

I would almost guarantee that the same people complaining how much somebody makes are the same people that keep reaching into their pockets and keep renting the movies that they make or watching the TV shows that these people are on.

It is a real simple concept, if you don't like a business for whatever reason don't give your money to them.

This is the mentality that is wrong with the world. A lot of people don't want to solve problems themselves instead they run to the government or somebody else to solve the problems for them and then after the problem gets solved, they complain about the way the problem got solved, so they go and run to somebody else.

Personal responsibility is severely lacking in today's world. People need to start worrying about themselves and quit worrying about what everybody else does or makes. I find people that think like so and so people make to much money and the like are very miserable people and are no fun to be around.

Originally posted by Make Speed Limit 45

Originally posted by David9176


Eat the rich right? Punish success.

Success? They're successful in the same sense a bank robber is successful. They have a lot of money but they didn't earn it. The people who are truly successful and deserve wealth are the producers - Famers, engineers, architects, truckdrivers, factory workers. It's people like that who produce wealth.

You seem to be very angry. I know a lot of people who are farmers/engineers/architects who are millionares. No factory workers or truck drivers though. They (actors and athletes) chose their undustry and competed against many to get where they are. Don't punish their success. Hard work should be rewarded. They also create jobs, people buy tickets because they enjoy them, creates stadium jobs, apparal jobs, stores to sell their wares, etc. Are you saying that you would never ever want a job that paid you 16mil a year? That sounds doubtful. Everyone strives to be successful, it's just that money doesn't equal success. Some of those millionares you could probably feel sorry for because they are empty on the inside. I myself have a great family so I feel pretty rich in that regard.

reply to post by Make Speed Limit 45


If you don't like what they make then stop paying them. Cancel TV, don't go to the movies and boycott the Superbowl.

You don't need TV, and you don't need Nike's.

I bet you have some nice stuff. I bet I could use some of it. I'm going to come and take your stuff because it's nicer than mine. But I want you to keep being productive and working hard, that way I can have more nice stuff at your expense.

You see. I am a lazy, fat, arrogant pile of useless trash. Everyone owes me something. And they especially owe me the the fruits of thier labor. I'm too stupid to figure out how to be productive because the school system I was taught in didn't have the resources to make me smart. That is the fault of greedy people that don't care about fat, lazy, arrogant piles of useless trash like me.

In a short while, the people I voted for will send some other people to your house. And they will take your nice things and bring them to me. Because their are millions of fat, lazy, arrogant piles of trash like me all over the country, and we are a huge voting block.

I am not smart enough, determined enough, or strong enough to make my own life better. But you are smart, determined, and strong enough for the two of us. So I will sit my giant, fat, lazy, arrogant ass on your shoulders, and you will carry my giant, fat, lazy, arrogant ass for the rest of your life.

You get it? You may produce everything, you may be the sole creator of jobs and wealth, you may think you are pretty smart when you invent something groundbreaking that changes the world forever and saves a million lives, but I did one better.............

I stole it all from you......because I am.....a giant, fat, lazy, arrogant ###hole. Now get back to work, you need to buy me a TV so I don't miss dancing with the stars.

[edit on 28-3-2009 by aravoth]

reply to post by aravoth


Star for you, that was brilliant