In a few weeks, college football will be underway. Millions of students and alumni across this country will be filling up stadiums that in many cases dwarf their professional counterparts and many more will be watching on TV.
It’s a very exciting time for a lot of us here at Kos and across the political and social spectrum.
Yet, something has been lurking right in front us, and yet under the radar all this time.
Let me start by showing the coaches salaries for the SEC conference – the much beloved heart and soul of the Deep South.
# Coach Name School Compensation
1 Les Miles LSU $3,751,000
2 Nick Saban Alabama $3,750,000
3 Urban Meyer Florida $3,400,000
4 Tommy TubervilleAuburn $2,825,000
5 Bobby Petrino Arkansas $2,850,000
6 Mark Richt Georgia $2,800,000
7 Houston Nutt Ole Miss $2,500,000
8 Lane Kiffin Tennessee $2,000,000
9 Steve Spurrier South Carolina $1,800,000
10 Sylvester Croom Mississippi St $1,700,000
11 Rich Brooks Kentucky $1,075,000
12 Bobby Johnson Vanderbilt $1,000,000
Not one coach makes less than a million dollars. Many coaches make above $2 million. Of course, the Southeastern Conference is not alone in paying coaches such high salaries. It’s not shocking or new at all in most of the country.
However, one thing that does set this conference apart from the other big BCS conferences is that this is the conference for the Deep South. Sure, several popular schools are in other conferences, notably the ACC, but this is the part of the country with the biggest, loudest opposition to anything government. They don’t want government run anythings. But year after year, with fierce loyalty and devotion (only matched by the GOP) they worship on Fall Saturdays and during the off season and smile as, say Alabama fans did when they got Saban as coach and prepared for the Tide to Roll again.
Nevermind that this government run entity functions both on state taxpayer dollars, but also Federal funds.
Even privates universities receive state and Federal funds in one manner or another. Again this is not unique to one part of the country, but what is unique is the government run entities should not exist/government can’t run anything/government sucks crowd are allowing a very big exemption here, just as many conservative seniors don’t want no government messin’ in their Medicare.
It just another examples of conservatives being full of it. They oppose what they oppose, but their reasoning is shallow and completely selective.
Proper health care reform will win over the country just like Social Security and Medicare have. We all know that most of the country supports and wants it now. Democrats in Congress need to plow ahead and forget about irrational polls and corporate sponsored fake outrage.
It doesn’t matter, if the right reform passes now, no matter what the noise, then the country wins and yet again, Democrats will have been on the right side of history and the American people will have been helped.
Hopefully after this August circus is over we can celebrate our teams playing this September and real health care reform that will benefit all Americans.