Write your own editorial

Feb. 17, 2005
Our tradition is to devote an editorial column each year to the dollar values associated with the income or spending of various institutions, corporations, or classes of individuals.
View other Ron
Khol editorials

View Ron's Blog and comment on this article on the Machine Design Forums.

It is up to you to find whatever amusement, amazement, or irony is latent in these figures. All values are from published sources, but I haven't retained documentation.

Funds allocated by the Florida Bar Association for a public-relations program to improve the image of lawyers: $750,000. Median net worth of retirees 67 years old: $448,000. Salary of the president of Ohio State University: $352,000. Median price of a house: $173,200. Annual salaries of U.S. senators and representatives: $158,100. Salary of the Lakewood, Ohio, school superintendent: $136,000. Salary of the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities: $133,700. Highest earnings (including overtime) for a maintenance worker on the Pennsylvania Turnpike: $99,757. Sticker price of the Volkswagen Phaeton luxury sedan: $95,215. Average earnings of a New York City police sergeant: $91,000. Average pay of a longshoreman at a West Coast port: $90,000. Average earnings of a New York City fireman with five years service: $76,000. Average amount borrowed by law students to attend a private college: $72,893.Top earnings (including overtime) for a toll collector on the Pennsylvania Turnpike: $70,425.

Median starting salary of MBAs with a technical undergraduate degree: $63,500. Median salary of human-resources specialists: $59,000. Median salary of manufacturing sales reps: $52,620. Federal funds allocated to a tattoo-removal program in Sal Luis Obispo County, Calif.: $50,000. Median salary of elementary-school guidance counselors: $46,850. Median household income for retirees at age 67: $36,000. Average starting salary of human-resources specialists: $31,963. Cost of a typical wedding: $24,000. Amount of money in a Monopoly game: $15,140. Average cost of the Coast Guard to rescue a person stranded on Lake Erie ice: $13,000. Credit-card debt of the average household: $9,205. Average annual cost to large employers for employee health insurance: $7,009. Cost of a brand-new Model A Ford four-door sedan, introduced in 1927, in today's dollars: $6,045.

Average U.S. spending per person annually for health care: $5,800. Average credit-card debt in 2001 of seniors age 65 and older: $4,041. Amount Nissan made on each car produced in 2003: $2,402. Credit-card debt of the average college sophomore: $2,000. Amount Toyota made on each car produced in 2003: $1,742. Amount Honda made on each car produced in 2003: $1,488. Average amount brides spend on a wedding dress: $799. Amount Chrysler lost on each car produced in 2003: $496. In a revamping of China's traffic laws, the proposed fine for drunken driving: $242. Amount General Motors earned on each car produced in 2003: $178. Average amount spent for a bridesmaids dress: $147. Amount Ford Motor Co. lost on each car produced in 2003: $48.00. Hourly wage of union production workers at Big 3 automobile plants: $26.00. Weekly cost of emptying a sidewalk trashcan in downtown Cleveland: $14.42. Hourly wage of Salvation Army bell ringers in Youngstown, Ohio: $5.15.

Finally, a little-known fact. In World War II, the branch of the service suffering the highest casualty rate was the Merchant Marine.

-- Ronald Khol, Editor
Send feedback to MDeditor @ penton.com

Sponsored Recommendations

NEW Low Profile, Ultra Compact Power Supplies

March 13, 2024
Learn more HERE about Altech's Power supplies!

Altech's Liquid Tight Strain Relifs Catalog

March 13, 2024
With experienced Product Engineers and Customer Service personnel, Altech provides solutions to your most pressing application challenges. All with one thought in mind - to ensure...

Industrial Straight-Through Cable Gland

March 13, 2024
Learn more about Altech's cable glands and all they have to offer for your needs!

All-In-One DC-UPS Power Solutions

March 13, 2024
Introducing the All-In-One DC-UPS, a versatile solution combining multiple functionalities in a single device. Serving as a power supply, battery charger, battery care module,...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Machine Design, create an account today!