I suppose we’re to be taken aback by, if not disapprove of, former President Bill Clinton’s $9.5 million haul last year on the international rubber-chicken circuit. He was paid as much as $400,000 a pop on his global speaking tour. Not included: travel and lodging reimbursements.
But whatever you think, if anything, of Clinton, put it into perspective. He’s a former president; he knows stuff; he has a unique perspective; and he’s hardly immune to marketplace forces. It’s part of the free enterprise, capitalist system we say we venerate.
If you want to quibble, however, then have at Greg Vaughn. Vaughn will make $9.5 million this year NOT to play for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. That’s the obscene upshot of releasing a Major League Baseball player with a guaranteed contract.
At least Clinton has to show up.