What is your "I can't believe they get paid for that?" thing?

[Luanne]

I have two.  Both are related to music (or what they consider music anyway).  The first one is heavy metal singers.  They bang on their guitar and scream into a microphone and they get paid for that?  The second one are the people who sing on some of the shows my mother (age 75) listens to.  They are totally off key and they get paid for that?  I keep telling my daughter I should have become a heavy metal singer.  I can scream and thump on an instrument too. LOL :lol:  :huh:

[Whereneverever]

The guy in charge of the Stanley Cup.

[kewb]

There are many things I find unbelievable but your music related ones made me think of the great Dire Straits song Money for Nothing.

 

 

 

[Moxie]

Pretty much any big name actor. Not that they get paid but how much. I grew up on a dairy farm--that's work!! Dressing up and pretending to be someone else--not so much.

[Belacqua]

The guy in charge of the Stanley Cup.

 

I love how that guy has to wear soft gloves and baby the Cup as if it's a fragile, precious artifact. Then the winning team turns it over to the players and they, shall we say, do not treat it with similar reverence. At least one significant ding, the story goes, happened when the Cup was tossed out of Guy Carbonneau's second story window and into his swimming pool.

[unfrumpable.]

Although I am not really a metal fan, they are doing more than thumping on a guitar (or bass) and screaming. They actually know how to play the instruments and many of them are very talented. It is not all my cup of tea, but I recognize they are talented.

 

If you are really interested in hearing someone thumping on a guitar and screaming, I can video my son the next time he does it. I would be surprised if anyone would pay to see and/or listen to that. :)

 

I guess my thing is sports. I am sometimes surprised at the high salaries some athletes are paid just for playing a game. Even if they are very good at it. :)

[annandatje]

Pretty much any big name actor. Not that they get paid but how much. I grew up on a dairy farm--that's work!! Dressing up and pretending to be someone else--not so much.

This! There are so many talented actors eager to practice their craft. The "why" answer is that it is a field that is considered attractive and potentially glamorous so there are far more artists than needed. Once an actor gets an established name, that actor can bring a ready made audience to the film or play. Consumers can help change this pattern by frequenting low budget but well written independent flicks/plays showcasing unknown talents. Same can be said for music and other sought-after fields of work.

[Audrey]

It's not all the time, but there are some days when my dh will say "I can't believe I get paid for this."  He means farming.  Not that he doesn't want to get paid for it, but he just loves it so much, it sometimes doesn't feel like work.

[wintermom]

I think that neither actors nor pro sport athletes (especially basketball) should be paid the crazy amounts some of them are, such as $18 million US a year for a bball player (and that's not even a top player). It is totally ridiculous.

 

We have some super stupid union jobs in our city, though, where a custodian working long enough at a school can be making $80,000/year. If you can do the exact same job pretty much as well when you started at age 19 with minimal training or advanced education as you do 40 years later, why should you make $60,000 more?

[Chris in VA]

I have more of a can't believe they get paid that much thing--dog walkers. $22 for a 30 min. Walk.

[Word Nerd]

More than a few columnists and pundits make me wonder why they're paid for their opinions.

[plansrme]

Being a Kardashian.

[Halftime Hope]

Being a Kardashian.

the latest Miley Cyrus trainwreck...

[joannqn]

Some tutors.

 

I have friends who were paying an ex-teacher $50 per session, two sessions a week, for tutoring their daughter in reading. They later discovered that they were paying $50 an hour for her to talk to their daughter about her day, feed her a snack, and watch her fill out reading comprehension workbooks. Apparently, no attempt was made to determine if she could even decode words (she couldn't).

 

I once observed a tutor at the library. He sat at the table while his student wandered around the library doing her own thing. About five minutes before the session was over, she finally sat down at the table, opened her social studies text, and started working on homework. He was a tutor paid by the school district. I know because I asked, as I was interested about what was involved in becoming a tutor with the school district.

[milovany]

It's not all the time, but there are some days when my dh will say "I can't believe I get paid for this." He means farming. Not that he doesn't want to get paid for it, but he just loves it so much, it sometimes doesn't feel like work.

That's how I feel about my work. Sitting cross-legged on my bed, listening to a variety of interesting classes, and typing what I hear ... I get paid a good wage to do this? Cool!

[Mnemosyne]

I love it that people get paid to play videogames. What a job!!

[Heather in Neverland]

Um, pretty much the entire police system in Malaysia. They make tree sloths look hyper.

[*********]

Professional sports. I've never in my life been able to wrap my head around why we pay grown men (and women) to play a *game* for a living. That just seems so absurd to me.

 

(Yes, I realize I'm odd.)

[Audrey]

Professional sports. I've never in my life been able to wrap my head around why we pay grown men (and women) to play a *game* for a living. That just seems so absurd to me.

 

(Yes, I realize I'm odd.)

Odd?  I don't think so.  I think you've got plenty of company. 

[Lara in Colo]

the photographers that stalk celebrities. I think celebrities bring a lot of that on themselves, but I also think that the photos garner a LOT of money and that causes more photographers to stalk them.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Hand models

[happi duck]

Um, pretty much the entire police system in Malaysia. They make tree sloths look hyper.

 

:laugh:

[LibraryLover]

The majority of pro athletes have very short careers. Because a college athlete signs a multimillion $ contract does not mean he will actually ever see that money. Injuries are common, and tax on that at that income is nearly 50%. (State dependent, it could be more) So many of those guys come from nothing, and leave with nothing. Understand that even if a 21 yr old ball player signs a 10 million dollar contract, he has to pay tax on that. If he is injured to the point he can't play out his contract, he doesn't get the money.

Young pro athletes are often treated as yesterday's garbage.

So maybe the coaches/agents/ advertisers sucking the blood out of these guys shouldn't be getting paid to exploit year after year after year.

[LibraryLover]

Multibillionaires who evade taxes. Take care of them, and we don't need to worry about the 3 -4 hand models in the US who make maybe 100k/year and taxed at 40%. ;)

[poppy]

The elite in sports and music make lots of money because while lots and lots of people would love to do what they do professionally, very few actually can perform at that level. And their careers are very short. Except the Rolling Stones, they just keep going and going.....

 

I have worked in corporate America, and the number of people making big $$ to do nothing but come up with, implement, then replace management systems astounds me. Every big company has hoardes of people, whole departments, who do nothing but spin their wheels on this stuff. The idea lasts for a couple years, then is scrapped by something very similar. People in IT will know what I'm talking about. Six Sigma vs Lean vs ISO vs Kaizen vs Agile. Blah blah blah. Millions and millions and millions of dollars for people to use jargon and make charts that all just boil down to "be efficient and don't screw up".

[Amy in NH]

I have two.  Both are related to music (or what they consider music anyway).  The first one is heavy metal singers.  They bang on their guitar and scream into a microphone and they get paid for that?  The second one are the people who sing on some of the shows my mother (age 75) listens to.  They are totally off key and they get paid for that?  I keep telling my daughter I should have become a heavy metal singer.  I can scream and thump on an instrument too. LOL :lol:  :huh:

 

It depends on which genre of heavy metal you are talking about.  Many heavy metal musicians are classically trained.  Maybe you should check out some Dream Theater?  I've never heard such amazingly talented musicians.  Those guys really know their stuff.

[LibraryLover]

The elite in sports and music make lots of money because while lots and lots of people would love to do what they do professionally, very few actually can perform at that level. And their careers ".

Yep.

 

And often fleeting. One injury early on, and you're out, no matter. The exploitation can be sickening. Again, people forget these sign-on bonuses are taxed, and if they are injured, they never see the money media hypes. If you can't play, you don't get paid.

[LibraryLover]

As far as The Rolling Stones ( and the like). They are making ba-gillions for others.

Pops artists support a boatload of folks.

Someone like Oprah cannot exist on her own, kwim? it takes an army.

Fwiw, I've also thought about how many mostly decent people are now on unemployment because Paula Deen is a racist, and totally betrayed the hundreds/thousands of people who worked for her franchise.

 

[CyndiLJ]

The receipt "checkers" at the door at Sam's Clubs and Costco's.  Seriously, they almost never, ever really check the receipt against what is in the cart, instead they just run their pen over the receipt and call it good, never having looked up.  Whatever they get paid is too much for that job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bettyandbob]

The receipt "checkers" at the door at Sam's Clubs and Costco's. Seriously, they almost never, ever really check the receipt against what is in the cart, instead they just run their pen over the receipt and call it good, never having looked up. Whatever they get paid is too much for that job.

At my Costco, I've had several who actually look for items they see in th cart on the receipt. They alo move things around to see what's hidden and check the receipt.

[poppy]

The receipt "checkers" at the door at Sam's Clubs and Costco's.  Seriously, they almost never, ever really check the receipt against what is in the cart, instead they just run their pen over the receipt and call it good, never having looked up.  Whatever they get paid is too much for that job.

Maybe they're just really fast. It seems like they're doing nothing, but, I once had one glance for an instant at the receipt and stop me because there were too FEW items in my cart (I had bought a book but stuck it in my purse).

[Word Nerd]

.

[wintermom]

Yep.

 

And the sports elite are fleeting. One injury early on, and you're out, no matter. The exploitation is sickening. Again, people forget these sign-on bonuses are taxed, and if they are injured, they never see the money media hypes. If you can't play, you don't get paid.

 

There are lots of clauses in their contracts protecting pro athletes now. In fact, in many cases, a pro athlete can still receive his $5 million, for example, for the year and only have played one game, before the team owner can get out of the contract.

 

I'd love to get taxed on multi-thousand dollar signing bonus - it's way more than I get paid now!

 

Just to put things into a little perspective, for a fraction of the $18 million dollars a pro basketball player gets in one year, 150 PhD researchers can work for a year, including their salaries, office space, etc. The years of education the 150 Ph.D. professionals combined is way, way beyond the years a basketball player trained.

 

American pro sports, particularly Basketball (because of the small team sizes and the TV contracts), is completely crazy in the amount of money athletes are paid. Coaches receive a fraction of the salaries of the top athletes, too.

[wintermom]

My boys want to get paid for building with LEGO when they grow up! It's a fair job aspiration, compared to many paid jobs out there. lol

[wintermom]

The majority of pro athletes have very short careers. Because a college athlete signs a multimillion $ contract does not mean he will actually ever see that money. Injuries are common, and tax on that at that income is nearly 50%. So many of those guys come from nothing, and leave with nothing. Understand that even if a 21 yr old ball player signs a 10 million dollar contract, he has to pay tax on that. If he is injured to the point he can't play out his contract, he doesn't get the money.

 

Young pro athletes are often treated as yesterday's garbage.

 

So maybe the coaches/agents/ advertisers sucking the blood out of these guys shouldn't be getting paid to exploit year after year after year.

 

There are many, many pro athletes playing into their 40s. Just take a look at the pro golfers ages. The contracts that pro athletes sign now allow them the protection to receive a large portion of the entire contract whether they are injured or not.

 

Since when are Americans taxed anywhere near 50% of their salary? That's more likely in Canada and Europe.

 

I wouldn't mind being "yesterday's garbage" as you say, if I played a sport at whatever age and still received over $100,000.

 

Coaches salaries are a fraction of the top players. The coaches salaries are only now coming anywhere near the higher paid players, and rightly so. What 20-something athlete is going to think he needs to listen to a 40-something "old man" who doesn't get paid even half of what he does?

[MedicMom]

My job.

I still go to my job and think, I cant believe I get paid to do this...however, I really don't make that much, so maybe it doesn't count.

[poppy]

There are lots of clauses in their contracts protecting pro athletes now. In fact, in many cases, a pro athlete can still receive his $5 million, for example, for the year and only have played one game, before the team owner can get out of the contract.

 

I'd love to get taxed on multi-thousand dollar signing bonus - it's way more than I get paid now!

 

Just to put things into a little perspective, for a fraction of the $18 million dollars a pro basketball player gets in one year, 150 PhD researchers can work for a year, including their salaries, office space, etc. The years of education the 150 Ph.D. professionals combined is way, way beyond the years a basketball player trained.

 

American pro sports, particularly Basketball (because of the small team sizes and the TV contracts), is completely crazy in the amount of money athletes are paid. Coaches receive a fraction of the salaries of the top athletes, too.

Who makes $18 million dollars? That is a star player, not a typical one. Even the typical ones making a fraction of that are very rare and elite... while PhD researchers are less so.

 

I've heard it said it's a shame that pro athletes make more than teachers. Think of it this way. Most states has maybe 150 pro athletes in the really high paying professional level. Most any individual school district in the country has that many teachers. If each STATE had only 150 teachers, competition to hire them would be fierce and pay would be extremely competitive. (Please don't flame about homeschooling here, I'm just using teachers as an example.....)

 

I am not really saying they deserve that much, necessarily, it just make sense from a market driven perspective. Bank tellers - of which there are thousands in every state - make a decent middle class living. Investment bankers - a much smaller elite bunch who do extremely sophisticated work - make six figures from day 1 and the rewards can be enormous in that field. Is that unfair too? There really aren't that many people who could do that job, AND have the background to get it, AND have the drive to succeed in a cutthroat world.........

[Ravin]

I think the risk factor for pro athletes balances the high salaries, plus for athletes, actors, musicians, and other entertainers, it doesn't seem that they get disproportionate salaries in light of the enormous profits generated by their industries.

 

There are tongue in cheek exceptions, though. Such as the puppeteers who made Oobi. I use the term "puppeteers" loosely, as the "puppets" are their hands with eyeballs and a few accessories stuck on them.

[LibraryLover]

There are many, many pro athletes playing into their 40s. Just take a look at the pro golfers ages. The contracts that pro athletes sign now allow them the protection to receive a large portion of the entire contract whether they are injured or not.

 

Since when are Americans taxed anywhere near 50% of their salary? That's more likely in Canada and Europe.

 

I wouldn't mind being "yesterday's garbage" as you say, if I played a sport at whatever age and still received over $100,000.

 

Coaches salaries are a fraction of the top players. The coaches salaries are only now coming anywhere near the higher paid players, and rightly so. What 20-something athlete is going to think he needs to listen to a 40-something "old man" who doesn't get paid even half of what he does?

 

I wasn't thinking of golfers. I was particularly thinking of pro football/basketball. Some of them do make a ton of money, and for a long time. But more of them suffer injuries and have to stop playing. If they haven't been looked after by managers, a good lawyer, a level head etc., they are done.  Ball players file bankruptcy frequently.  These young guys are often treated like garbage once they are no longer useful to a franchise.  Sure, they should take better care of their money, but plucked right out of college and courted might mean you're too young and too stupid to handle those first couple of million.

 

I know that there are changes being made;  new and young players are now getting orientations on finances and more. I don't know if it helps. Maybe it can for some.  I hope we see fewer 20-somethings left with nothing but a career-ending injury.  Ball players who aren't injured also need financial education.  Even guys who play for a long time often end up bankrupt.  My dh told me the average number of years a guy in the NFL will play is about 3/4. They've played ball  since they were little kids, are stars for a time, but they can't make a life career out of.  Maybe having been knocked around fields for so many years, they have sustained injuries to the brain which makes it more difficult to train for something else. They can't all be ESPN commentators.  Doesn't seem so glamorous to me.

 

Yk, 100k isn't that much money,  especially after taxes. Who would want to play a dangerous sport for that? Especially if you're constantly getting knocked around and injured. Football, boxing, hockey can all cause severe brain damage.  What athletes make 100K-- except maybe women athletes? ;)   Candlepin bowlers?  :)

 

We're taxed heavily, and percentage varies by state.

[Tap]

The receipt "checkers" at the door at Sam's Clubs and Costco's.  Seriously, they almost never, ever really check the receipt against what is in the cart, instead they just run their pen over the receipt and call it good, never having looked up.  Whatever they get paid is too much for that job.

Wow ours here, count items and will dig around in the cart to make sure everything is accounted for.  No slackers here, those girls/guys do their job well.   They also will ask if you got your stamps, tickets, special 'vault' items, etc that show up on your receipt.   So I know ours are checking. 

[Forget-Me-Not]

The receipt "checkers" at the door at Sam's Clubs and Costco's. Seriously, they almost never, ever really check the receipt against what is in the cart, instead they just run their pen over the receipt and call it good, never having looked up. Whatever they get paid is too much for that job.

Mine usually check thoroughly. But they also rotate several employees in and out, and I've seen those people in the store doing other things besides receipt checking.

[LucyStoner]

Ann Coulter.  Not only am I not sure why she gets paid, I am not sure why she gets to share our air.  

[CyndiLJ]

I must shop at one of the few Sam's Clubs that give it a cursory glance, hold up the lines, and are clueless about what I actually purchased. Almost every time they never even look at my cart!! Glad to once that in most places, this role is actually a good one.

[SquirrellyMama]

I don't get paid much for this but sometimes I can't believe I get paid for my part time job. I work at Hilton Coliseum and CY Stephens in Ames at Iowa State. I usher and work doors. When I usher I get to watch the shows, basketball games, volleyball, wrestling, etc... I've seen a lot of good concerts, musicals and other shows. Most of the time I just have to get people to their seats and then I get to watch. I have to make sure I'm there to answer questions but they aren't that difficult. I worked the Sugarland concert one night and my section had no people because it was on the side of the stage so I just had to keep people from going past me. Didn't have to tell one person all night. I got to watch a really fun show and get paid.

 

I also graduated from ISU so I enjoy working all the sporting events.

 

Awesome job and awesome coworkers :)

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Ann Coulter.  Not only am I not sure why she gets paid, I am not sure why she gets to share our air.

She produces a product (her books) and people purchase them. She also gets paid as a public speaker; a LOT of people get paid for speeches. Not sure what else she gets paid for that you're referring to...?

[LibraryLover]

dp

 

[LibraryLover]

She produces a product (her books) and people purchase them. She also gets paid as a public speaker; a LOT of people get paid for speeches. Not sure what else she gets paid for that you're referring to...?

 

Doesn't she have a talk show?  I think that's the air reference. 

 

We're probably getting too close to politics, eh? 

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Doesn't she have a talk show?  I think that's the air reference. 

 

We're probably getting too close to politics, eh?

Ohh, okay, I thought the air reference was *actual* air. :headbang:

[Luanne]

Even the pro athletes that don't make the largest amount compared to the others and only play a few years probably make more than any of us will in a lifetime. 

[LucyStoner]

She produces a product (her books) and people purchase them. She also gets paid as a public speaker; a LOT of people get paid for speeches. Not sure what else she gets paid for that you're referring to...?

I know what it is that she gets paid to do, but like the thread title, "I can't believe" that there is an audience for her spew or that what she says produces real value.  I also sincerely doubt she believes everything she says.  At least this keeps her from practicing law.  No one should be subjected to her in a court of law.