Tony Mauro has a must-read article about some, shall we say, innovative ways to hide how much Jay Sekulow is paid. There aren't any surprises to those of you who know how most "non-profit" corporations operate. But it is always interesting to read about the lavish lifestyles lived by those so willing to ask for the widow's mite.
There's no question that Jay Sekulow is a great appellate lawyer, and that great appellate lawyers are entitled to charge a lot of money for their work. What bothers me is when people who come in the name of God (or, as in the case of John Edwards, "public justice") ask so much from people who can afford so little. I wonder who many hungry mouths Sekulow could feed by selling one of his homes.
I know the price of Sekulow's life. I grew up in poverty. Yet my mother, duped by these snake oil salesmen, would send money to the 700 Club and ACLJ. As a child I wondered: "What kind of person would accept money from people as poor as my mother, and then spend that money on fancy cars and mansions?" As an adult I learned the answer - scoundrels.
Sekulow should continue to receive respect for his legal skills, but I hope no one is blind enough to admire his morals. People like him live lavish lifestyles at the expense of the poor.
I saw that. Brass balls, I say -- prayer pays. Think I can learn, Mike?
Posted by: Norm Pattis | October 31, 2005 at 03:20 PM
Your conscience would prevent you from joining Sekulow's ranks. But should you forgo human decency, I'm sure they'd make room for you at the trough.
Posted by: Mike | October 31, 2005 at 04:00 PM
If you don't mind my asking, in the above post how are you defining "poverty"?
Posted by: Visitor | November 02, 2005 at 03:21 PM
Well, I don't want to tell my life story here, but for the sake of the post... "Poverty" here means a family of six (both parents, 4 kids) couple years on welfare, dad made never made more than $10/hr. until my soph. year in high school, when he then got another factory job where he cleared $350 a week. We'd run out of things like shampoo and thus have to wash our hair with dish soap. Good times were had by all. (Actually, it could have been much, much worse. Never homeless. Good clean-living parents, so they never squandered limited money on beer or cigarettes. Never abused. Still, we didn't have money to give so that people like Jay Sekulow could have a private jet.)
Posted by: Mike | November 02, 2005 at 03:43 PM
Mike, you seem to be quite concerned about the resorces of others, even when described in your own words as "great" in their field. Are you envious, maybe?
From your statements, I'm guessing that you don't consider yourself overpaid in your own job. I was hoping you might reveal your own source of income and an approximate amount for reference here. I'm sure some may think that I'm paid too much for what I do but to another, not nearly enough. Income is, by its nature, relative, after all.
Just hoping you might keep your argument above board in fairness to your readers.
Posted by: Paid2Much | February 25, 2006 at 03:26 PM