There is obviously a glaring inequity in value placed on many professions by the marketplace.

Unfortunately, the workings of supply and demand do not always bring about equity and fair play. To be sure, they sometimes result in unfavorable allocation of resources or morally unethical consequences. It is, in my opinion, a scar on our collective psyche as Americans, that we place such a hefty premium on being entertained that we do not mind as a society that our ballplayers, movie stars, other entertainers earn bizarre sums while those who strive professionally to make the world a better place earn pittances.

Teachers, doctors, paramedics, a host of workers in assorted fields from health care to home care to education – many with high academic credentials – are in the front lines, sometimes even the “battlefields,” working to heal, educate, uplift us for abysmally low compensation when compared to the professional athlete or entertainer – a majority of whom, by all accounts, lack the rigors of an extensive, sometimes even a rudimentary educational background. Many also lack charisma, decorum, moral and professional values, making their spot in the limelight as role models for our young even more bewildering and incredible.

It is a sad commentary on all of us that we continue to participate as consumers in the processes that result in the flow of millions to athletes while many public school teachers tell daily of the horror stories they experience at pitifully low compensation – venturing in front of classrooms across the country trying to mould young minds while risking their own.

Yes, there is no applause from fans at the end of the day, just a lonely ride home sometimes through dangerous neighborhoods for a well-earned respite, while the off-season athlete who can barely spell his own name heads off to the islands for more fun and splendor.

There is a price, unfortunately, that we all pay for the economic and political freedoms that we enjoy as Americans. This is but one item on that price tag.

As much as I abhor it, I am willing – and I believe that most of us also are so inclined – to pay that price to keep our way of life, our freedoms to work, to choose our presidents and our professions, and to entertain and be entertained by athletes and other highly paid entertainers.

In America, we’ll take the bad with the good.