Actors VS Teachers

I work in the biz, show biz that is, and recently it has come to my attention the price of which our top actors and actresses are paid. You would be amazed at the going price of performances, appearances, hosting (not to be confused with appearances), traveling, styling, manicures, walking, breathing, ...being. 

Now its not like I've just come out from under a rock or anything. I've always been aware of the millions that Hollywood throws out to ensure our top entertainers (or in today's age reality stars) stay happy and in tip top shape so they can entertain us to the fullest. However, due to recent eye opening experiences I feel the need to finally speak out about it, especially in this economy. 

Around six months ago thousands of California teachers were given pink slips notifying them that they may be on the cutting board for loosing their jobs. Later, many of them did in fact lose their jobs.  A friend of mine whom works within the San Diego School District watched as many of her fellow teachers were forced to pack up their classrooms and say goodbye. For the time being, she was safe. Therefore she lined up an extra row of chairs in her classroom and welcomed in various students affected by the cuts.

Back to the biz. 

Our 'top" actors are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars per episode, millions per film, thousands per appearance etc. Now it's not that I think they don't deserve it, heck I'm still waiting for my big break, but do they really deserve that much? I mean lets face it, they own islands, mansions in the Hollywood Hills as well as Italy and demand to travel only by private jets which run around 30 - 50 grand...at the least. So would it really hurt them to knock off a mere million bucks from their next 25 million dollar paycheck? Or to suck it up and fly first class and sign a few autographs for the sake of a cutting out $30,000 of traveling cost? I mean, as I stated before, the island and mansion are already paid for and I can't help but wonder if those few thousand and million knocked off here and there could be better spent...say in our school system...?

The system which has now been decreased so drastically that student class size have nearly doubled, craft materials come from donations and teachers minds occasionally wonder if they will make the next cut. These children are our FUTURE!  (as Whitney Houston once sang)

So why then are we denying them the attention they need in school so some A-lister can bank another 25 million for the summer blockbuster hit?  

I'm not trying to overlook all those who've lost their jobs in various industries across America, by any means I'm not.  I'm just pointing out one industry as it's fresh in my mind after filing invoices for private jets while listening to a co-worker read off the donation 'wish list' of her children's elementary school. AND at the same time, asking the showbiz industry to think for a second if a fraction of their money could be spent better elsewhere.