If pay truly was commensurate with the contribution one makes to society,

[leftofthedial]

which professions would be most valued? Which professions would be least valued?

How much money would they make?

I was just pondering Thain's $87,000 office area rug and contemplating how few of my students even have a textbook yet, three weeks into the term...



edit: typo

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. Teachers should be the most valued. Pro athletes would have to take a huge pay cut.

[leftofthedial]

4. So, if the CEO of a failing bank made $52 million last year,

and a shortstop with a mediocre bat made $24 million,

how much would a teacher make in your world?

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. A teacher would make 100K. The other two would have to live off of what they

made for the rest of their lives, as well as be responsible for the salary of the teacher!

[BanzaiBonnie]

2. Those who care for children, the elderly and disabled

would be first with teachers coming in a close second. Although, some teaching is about caring for our children.

That's a tough call.

[Mike 03]

3. Teachers would dress in gold clothing and athletes would be begging on street corners.

It would be an entirely different world.

The people we never hear about who just "do good" for the sake of doing good would be billionaires and we would never have even heard names like "Paris Hilton" or "Nicole Richie" or some athlete or actor or actress.

(Although I have a bias in that I do think art is important to our lives, but not as important as a great teacher. There's no occupation more important than teaching K-12, IMO.)

Great question. I will be glued to this thread to see what others say.

EDIT: typo

[FloridaJudy]

6. Teachers and farmers would be way up there

As would doctors and nurses. And artists and writers.

If I had my way, cops would be really, really well trained, and would make a comfortable salary.

Wall street traders and advertisers would have to take a day job.

[leftyclimber]

7. Garbage collectors. nt

[Sal Minella]

8. The guy on the back end of our garbage truck who heaves my bag into the compactor every Monday

morning whether the windchill is 60 below or not -- yeah, he should be making a salary somewhere between our Mayor's and our Governor's. Yeah.

[ColbertWatcher]

9. I was going to say this too. n/t