For a prime example of how out of whack Corporate America and its media coat holders are to the reality of life in America these days, check out the reaction to the news that Lloyd Blankfein, the chief executive of investment bank Goldman Sachs received a bonus of “only” $9 million this year. (Before shedding too many tears over Mr Blankfein’s misfortune, remember that his 2007 bonus of $68 million will probably allow him to maintain the standard of living to which he’s become accustomed for several more years).

To put it in perspective, an American worker with a $50,000 per year job would have to work 180 years to earn $9 million dollars. For those who say that Mr. Blankfein puts forth more effort than the average worker, let’s assume that our “average” worker take a second job with identical pay. Now working 80 hours per week to earn $100,000 per year, our worker would require 90 years to earn the equivalent of Mr. Blankfein’s annual bonus.