 On Point Vincent Carroll, editor of the editorial pages, writes his On Point column most weekdays. He is also an author and freelance writer. Reach Vincent Carroll at carrollv@RockyMountainNews.com. |
Carroll: Pricey Kofi klatch
Yes, some speeches are worth $160,000, but Kofi Annan has never given one and neither has anyone else on the overpriced, bigtime lecture circuit.
If the University of Colorado student government has so much money that that it can squander a speaker’s fee of that size on the vapid musings of the former United Nations secretary-general, as it did in April, maybe that’s a sign that it is grossly overfunded.
Have you ever tried to keep your eyelids at attention during a sonorous lecture by Annan on international affairs? Only someone addicted to hearing the word “multilateral” repeated like a mantra could walk away feeling enlightened or energized.
Unfortunately for those resolved to purchase inspiring oratory, almost all of the genuine article occurs without a set schedule. And it is generally delivered once, not on cue every time a civic or business group, or well-heeled student government, plops down a fat check.
The British prime minister might appear, for example, before the British House of Commons to report on the miraculous evacuation of troops from Dunkirk, and from his mouth will pour phrases that leave listeners pounding on their benches and weeping without control.
Some people might pay $160,000 per minute to witness in real time Winston Churchill give his original “We will fight on the beaches” speech, and never regret a dime. And I wouldn't blame them.
But at least the CU students learned something from their experience with Annan — namely, the absurd extent to which world figures are often pampered and protected. A Rocky report explained that $60,000 of the fee was for “transportation, lodging, food and security.” Meaning the U.N.’s reputation for living large carries on.
A lot of leeway
A majority of Supreme Court justices still believe, despite their rejection Thursday of two school districts’ racial assignment plans, that discrimination is fine so long as it’s “narrowly tailored” to achieve a “compelling government interest.”
A “compelling government interest” is fancy legal jargon meaning “whatever five justices think is a very important social cause” — such as “the interest of diversity in higher education” that the court endorsed a few years ago in a case involving the University of Michigan.
The trouble with this formulation is that when government discriminates by race, it always thinks it has a compelling interest for doing so. It always can cite what it considers a very important social goal.
Southern states used to think they had a compelling government interest in segregating the races in public facilities. Opinions changed and now no one would buy their arguments.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not suggesting a moral equivalence between the discrimination practiced by Seattle and Louisville on behalf of racially “balanced” schools, which the court just struck down, and the vicious segregation that was uprooted half a century ago. My point is that a “compelling government interest” is such a mushy standard that it could justify just about any discriminatory policy in the hands of the right judges.
Chief Justice John Roberts is right: You stop racial discrimination by not discriminating. Period.
Vincent Carroll is editor of the editorial pages. Reach him at carrollv@RockyMountainNews.com.
Time for resegregation
Posted by [Just sayin'] on June 29, 2007 08:25 AMVincent, as a personal opinion I agree with you--no paid speaker is worth $160,000 per speech. I also believe no ball player is worth $10 million per season and no movie actor is worth $20 million per picture (I could make an arguement that some teachers or fire fighters might be worth such a salary based on students inspired or property saved). ...and let's not even get into CEO compensation.
You and I, however, don't get to make those judgements for society. Seems like you might have acknowledged something called the free market, in which the price of a thing is determined by what a willing buyer will pay and a willing seller will accept. Those fortunate enough to be in demand "...on the overpriced, bigtime lecture circuit" (or to play baseball or to act in movies) don't set their own prices--they're set by the market.
Kofi Annan is, therefore, undisputedly worth $160,000 for a speech (as are Rudy Guliani, Bill Clinton, and Jack Welch). Value received for the price paid? That's a different question and one you partially addressed in your column.
As you write your columns, please do, however, ask yourself if you would have had the same opinion had the paid speaker been, say, Rush Limbaugh (or insert the one person in the world you'd most like to listen to), instead of someone who's world outlook you abhor
Posted by Martin Allison on June 29, 2007 12:10 PMI beg to differ about Kofi Annan fee, unfortunately.
When you figure the number of instructional hours in a year, the rate that out of state students pay is $35 per hour. Since students paid $40 and Kofi has got to be better than your average TA.
This in comparison to Boston University, where they have more big name professors and the hourly rate is over $50. It probably was a bargain.
Dear Mr. Carroll,
I think CU students should have this retired FBI agent named Joe Trimbach come speak about AIM and Ward Churchill. Trimbach is writing a book about AIM called "American Indian Mafia," and it is going to expose AIM's dirty secrets.
I bet Trimbach would do address the students for just his expenses, but he should be paid 160,000 dollars.
He has this article 6-27-07 in News from Indian Country--which is published by real Indians, not fake ones like Professor Ward Churchill.
http://indiancountrynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=693&Itemid=1
It is about the FBI agents and Indians who died because of AIM.
Trimbach says that a murder witness is being returned from Canada who may tell about all the people who helped murder a Canadian Indian named Anna Mae Aquash.
HE says that a lot of AIM people may be in a lot of trouble when this guy talks to cut a deal.
I have some posts about Agent Trimbach on my blog.
Posted by Snapple on June 29, 2007 05:20 PMKofi like most so called UN diplomats like to hear themselves talk. They are a mutual admiration society who receive large salaries for the very little they accomplish but act important and live well in NYC. He certainly seems to fit with the self important student government who like the UN spends too much money for the good they do. Both need to be put on a budget that rewards good work as evaluated by someone other than themselves.
R Jones
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