Another clueless FI member.
I'm trying to use logic in my post, not emotional fantasies complete with sweeping generalizations and I'M the idiot? You suggest paying teachers millions of dollars a year, but I'm clueless? I'll brush off that idea as a hypothetical situation because nobody with the brainpower to turn on a computer would suggest that in serious conversation.
But I'm curious. Why would the money be put to better use if teachers made millions? Does being a teacher come with having good financial sense too? What do athletes do with their money that is stupid? Do you track their spending habits? What is an acceptable use to you?
Do you have a problem with athletes making millions a year? You do realize their paycheck doesn't come from the government or some sort of magic money tree, right? PEOPLE pay them by watching them use their talents. So when you can fill up an arena or stadium regularly to watch a teacher give a lecture on algebra, and charge people hundreds and thousands of dollars to do it, then you can have your million dollar teachers.
It sounds like you believe sports teams are a drain on society and there is no economic benefit to have them. Did you ever think of local economies that prosper when people flock somewhere to watch a game? Or all the jobs that are created from the existance of professional sports? Or the universities that benefit from the athletes that are gunning for the pros, who, in turn, can award scholarships, loans, grants, etc? Every kid dreams of his shot at the pros and all the way up, organizations benefit off of his hard work and talent. Think of the big picture, not a tiny slice of the pie.
In case you haven't noticed, MONEY makes the world go around. Not time. Anybody can throw time around. Homeless people must be rich in your world, since they have an abundance of time. In the real world, time is something everybody has, but not all have the luxury of "throwing money around". Your rebuttal to my point of noting that millions and millions of charity dollars would be lost if athletes made teacher salaries would be laughable if you didn't really believe that. Sure, what they do is noble but do you think all the kids in the hospital with leukemia would rather have an idea instead of actual money going to research their diseases and work towards curing them? You don't think they see the benefit of a baseball team donating a portion of its ticket sales to the Ronald McDonald house? But you think it's more important that someone knows what an iscosceles triangle is. If you really believe what you posted, the same teachers you are defending have tought you to look at the world through a peephole, not by opening the door. Did they teach you the proper way to disagree with someone is by name calling?
"Hello, VISA? Yes, hi, I'd like to pay this months balance in my time. WHAAAT? You only accept payment in the form of money? But some guy on the internet said time is more important than money!"
The majority of pro-athletes could be a teacher, but no teacher could be a pro-athlete. Why do I feel confident saying that? Because if they COULD be they WOULD be. And why would they be, outside of an obvious dedication to their sport? MONEY! Nobody is going to work hard enough to make it to the pros then voluntarily stop because he cares more about little Johnny getting a good education than a multi-million dollar contract to play a game.
Everyone can play a sport. Only a select few can get rich doing it. No need to be jealous.
Edited to answer your question:
What do you think would be done if we reversed the pay rolls. Same amount of money? Just going to people that give a damn about the future of our children. You are not very bright.
I would say it would be no different than any other segment of the population. Some would spend it foolishly and others would invest it wisely. But don't you think that the lure of financial wealth would attract individuals who are only in it for the money and couldn't care less about a childs future? Would you rather have someone who can accept a small paycheck and feel rewarded by the satisfaction they get by teaching their students properly or someone who just cares about getting a fat check? Please answer this. I'm sure you thought it out the possible consequences of such a scenario. Right?
