Where are your priorities?

Hearing all the talk about the debt ceiling and the plan our politicians are trying to put together has me thinking about how backwards our country sometimes seems to be.  For instance, there has been talk about Social Security not getting paid because an agreement about our nation’s debt hasn’t been reached.  It is the job of our politicians to handle this, but they still get paid.  Why? In my opinion, they are failing to do their jobs.  I’m not sure it’s realistic to think Congress shouldn’t get paid, but I’m sure they’d be more agreeable if they were going to be out of their own money.

Here’s another thing that bothers me.  The NFL lockout, which has finally ended.  It’s just as stupid in my opinion.  Most pro-athletes get paid millions of dollars, but they want to complain about not getting paid enough.  The owners make tons of money, too.  Give me a break! I’d like to tell them all to come down to the real world.  And earlier this year when the NFL was considering adding a few games to the season, the players balked not only because they believed they should get paid more but also because of the increased chance for injury.  Really? We have police officers, firemen, military personnel and other professionals who will never make in their lifetimes what some athletes will make in one game! And those people risk their lives on a daily basis.  Aren’t our priorities mixed up? Consider what actors/actresses are paid.  They’re entertainers! They are paid more than teachers, yet aren’t teachers more important? They should be.   

All this isn’t to say all politicians or all athletes or all entertainers are bad.  In fact, there are many who donate a lot of money to important causes, and they’re able to do so because of the amount of money they make.  And it’s awesome that they are willing to do this.  I probably contribute to the problem.  After all, I enjoy sports and TV shows and movies just as much as the next person.  But I can’t help it.  Sometimes I shake my head and wonder what’s really important to us Americans.