Your Money's Worth

I like sports more than others but probably not as much as most. My big issue is represented by the following headlines from the world of hockey:

Rangers ink Gaborik for 5 years, $37.5M (AP)
'Hawks sign F Hossa for 12 years, $62.8M (AP)
Oilers give Khabibulin $15M over 4 years (AP)

• The world is in a recession
• The US unemployment figures are now at 9.5%
• People in general are making more cuts and putting up with smaller salaries in order to have a job at all

These sports figures (from one of the lesser paid sports) and other celebrities rake in millions upon millions per year. Is being entertained really worth that to us?

On a similar note, the oil industry has spent in excess of $80 million in the past 6 months to lobby the legislature to decrease their tax burden. They could have paid their taxes and helped out the rest of us for less than that.

Both issues come down to priorities, I guess.