What talent does $5,500 per hour buy?

[Patallaire]

For the life of me, and in the spirit of keeping this clean, I can not imagine how the escort service that our Governor used rated the girls in their employ from 1 diamond to 7 diamonds. What kind of smile qualifies for 7 diamonds?

[xbubblehead]

I would think the smile came with a power driven sidecar.

[jwg122843]

Let's see...Hmmmm, how do i say this delicately? I would just like to see this woman, maybe from even across the room. I am also having trouble with this; I mean, 60 minutes can pass quick! This is just under $92.00/minute.But you know how these government folks are. Probably half of congress is scared to death right now, because most of them can not throw stones.

[Dave McReynolds]

If she were in the business world, rather than the "entertainment" world, billing out, let's say, 2,000 hours a year, that would amount to an $11,000,000 paycheck for the year, which would put her right up there with the top wage earners. OTOH, the CEO of Yahoo earned $230,000,000 in 2005. If HE had been in the "entertainment" world instead, you would have had to pay $115,000 for an hour of HIS time. Let your fantasies run wild on what you would get for that!

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

I would expect that kind of fee buys some strong (but clearly not iron-clad) assurances of privacy/confidentiality.

[Mister Tee]

Let's see...Hmmmm, how do i say this delicately? I would just like to see this woman, maybe from even across the room. I am also having trouble with this; I mean, 60 minutes can pass quick! This is just under $92.00/minute.But you know how these government folks are. Probably half of congress is scared to death right now, because most of them can not throw stones.

 

$92/minute? $300 is all I'd need then. Still a little pricey. No thanks.

[leikam]

What does somebody value who can comfortably afford to pay $5,500/hour?

[Quinn]

Since I put mine on a retainer years ago, that's probably what I'm paying for "talent" these days.

 

 

Please don't show this to my wife.

[steve.foote]

Please don't show this to my wife.

 

Too late...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...unless you care to make a small contribution to one of my public works projects.

[Huzband]

I would expect that kind of fee buys some strong (but clearly not iron-clad) assurances of privacy/confidentiality.

 

An interesting thought, considering that ultimately he was his own undoing.

[Joel]

What does somebody value who can comfortably afford to pay $5,500/hour?

 

Certainly not the respect or trust of his spouse or children, although that would be true even for a freebie.

 

Apparently power or affluence has a similar effect on many people, of each gender. The WSJ's Wealth Report blog cited results of a poll of owners of private jets showing that 34% of male respondents and 20% of female respondents reported using escort services.

 

Humans are weird animals.

[Dave McReynolds]

Apparently power or affluence has a similar effect on many people, of each gender. The WSJ's Wealth Report blog cited results of a poll of owners of private jets showing that 34% of male respondents and 20% of female respondents reported using escort services.

 

What makes you think power or influence has anything to do with it? Why do you think pool guys always look so happy?

[Twisties]

Humans are weird animals.

 

+ 1

 

Though I suspect we could debate what that means for far longer than global warming.... It might be more interesting though.

 

Jan

[Joel]

Apparently power or affluence has a similar effect on many people, of each gender. The WSJ's Wealth Report blog cited results of a poll of owners of private jets showing that 34% of male respondents and 20% of female respondents reported using escort services.

 

What makes you think power or influence has anything to do with it? Why do you think pool guys always look so happy?

 

I guess I'm naive enough to assume those same percentages wouldn't apply to the general population. Shall we take a poll? (J/K Mods & Mama Hoon )

[leikam]

Martin Monto, professor of social psychology, at the University of Portland has already done the survey for you (with hilarious results!).

[Firefight911]

Now ya know! Uhhhh, I think he got ripped off!!!!

 

LINKY

[Matts_12GS]

Martin Monto, professor of social psychology, at the University of Portland has already done the survey for you (with hilarious results!).

 

I thought it was just sailors since the politicians have already long sold themselves...

 

 

[Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs]

I dunno...the previous photo is pretty nice.

[Ken H.]

Related question - What kind of a deal is where a husband can spend $80,000 without his wife ever noticing it's gone??? $80K! What did he tell her, long lunches???

[Francois_Dumas]

What does somebody value who can comfortably afford to pay $5,500/hour?

 

Certainly not the respect or trust of his spouse or children, although that would be true even for a freebie.

 

Apparently power or affluence has a similar effect on many people, of each gender. The WSJ's Wealth Report blog cited results of a poll of owners of private jets showing that 34% of male respondents and 20% of female respondents reported using escort services.

 

Humans are weird animals.

 

AKA stewardesses ????

[Lets_Play_Two]

Related question - What kind of a deal is where a husband can spend $80,000 without his wife ever noticing it's gone??? $80K! What did he tell her, long lunches???

 

Whatever it is did not keep him from being a first class jerk!! An egomaniac who thought he was above it all. Probably narcissistic personality disorder and a sex addiction...he needs treatment along with all the scorn.

[SageRider]

"What talent does $5,500 per hour buy?"

The composure to not point and laugh???

[Agent_Orange]

That she would 'pick up the soap'.

[DavidEBSmith]

What kind of a deal is where a husband can spend $80,000 without his wife ever noticing it's gone??? $80K! What did he tell her, long lunches???

 

Spitzer is from a wealthy family - his father "loaned" $5 million to his campaign. They probably have $80K in the sofa cushions.

[David]

I really wonder if, as a nation, we have bigger fish to fry than what two adults give each other money for in a transaction like this. Who freakin' cares, really.

 

I'm guessing the outrage is more the inconsistency in position--the high and mighty evil killer who lives a private life doing what he rails against.

 

I'd rather move on from all this sooner rather than later. Overall, I'd say the guy did a hell of a lot more good than bad in life.

[SageRider]

"Overall, I'd say the guy did a hell of a lot more good than bad in life."

We really have no idea, do we??? One secret has been exposed. Who knows what else is there?

But it is the public moral high ground and the private moral low ground which makes this such a big issue. The worse type of hypocrisy!

[exwingnut]

I'm guessing the outrage is more the inconsistency in position--the high and mighty evil killer who lives a private life doing what he rails against.

 

It must have had something to do with all the prostitution convictions he crowed about when he was getting elected...

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

I'm guessing the outrage is more the inconsistency in position--the high and mighty evil killer who lives a private life doing what he rails against.

 

That's pretty much it for me. I'd be OK with legalizing and regulating prostitution, and in this particular case, who knows what arrangements he had with his wife - maybe she's ticked off, maybe she agreed to the whole thing in advance. But the hypocrisy of someone who has spent his career fighting corruption being revealed as a patron of prostitutes is just overwhelming.

 

We're dealing with a similar issue in Michigan, where Detroit's mayor is in the middle of a scandal. Some time ago he testified under oath that he was not having an affair with a woman in in administration; later on, records of explicit text messages surfaced confirming the existence of an affair, for which he has since apologized to everyone under the sun. The extramarital activities are a matter to be dealt with between him, his wife, and the other woman, but perjury by a public official, to me, is a very serious transgression.

[David]

"Overall, I'd say the guy did a hell of a lot more good than bad in life."

We really have no idea, do we??? One secret has been exposed. Who knows what else is there?

But it is the public moral high ground and the private moral low ground which makes this such a big issue. The worse type of hypocrisy!

 

I don't agree at all. The worse type of hypocrisy in his position as a powerful public leader would be to use that power for his private good, something which I've never seen a hint of. Maybe it exists, but what he did publicly (to my knowledge) is very good. It's not like he was spending public money for a prostitute.

 

I can tell you that I slept better at night knowing he was in office as a check/balance against large business. And I do understand what he did was wrong, but it is NOT the worst kind of hypocrisy to me.

[hANNAbONE]

"Overall, I'd say the guy did a hell of a lot more good than bad in life."

We really have no idea, do we??? One secret has been exposed. Who knows what else is there?

But it is the public moral high ground and the private moral low ground which makes this such a big issue. The worse type of hypocrisy!

 

bINGO..!

[steve.foote]

I really wonder if, as a nation, we have bigger fish to fry than what two adults give each other money for in a transaction like this. Who freakin' cares, really.

 

I'm guessing the outrage is more the inconsistency in position--the high and mighty evil killer who lives a private life doing what he rails against.

 

I'd rather move on from all this sooner rather than later. Overall, I'd say the guy did a hell of a lot more good than bad in life.

 

That might not be a view held by some of his targets.

[Patallaire]

Actually, he was a vengeful type man who made his bones by creating stories about people and having them fold under pressure. His hypocracy, which I don't understand how you can argue degrees of, was that he portrayed himself to be of a higher standard. He actually set in motion the things that tripped him up on part of the money transfers. Where they will proceed on the money laundring is that he fostered it with the Prostitution ring, ignoreing the Mann act for a moment. What he did in our industry is to create one page of facts and three pages of non-readable disclosures. I don't think you can suggest that there are degrees of morality or degrees of hypocracy. His arrogance cost us time, money and hurt his family.

[Deadboy]

The issue isn't that two adults had an affair (as some have argued) but that the governor (and previously head of law enforcement for the entire state) broke the law, and in doing so undermined his creditability which was the very thing he "sold" the voters on when he was elected. An affair would be one thing, but this was more than that....never mind his righteous stance against the shortcoming of others, which just makes it all the more interesting to watch.

 

As for what you get for your money….the best explanation I have heard is you don’t pay for the sex as much as you pay for the other person to leave and keep quiet afterwards. Sounds like it was working for a while…also how do you “ditch” your security detail when you are the governor? Can you imagine if he was needed for some sort of crisis and when they went to get him he wasn’t there? Seems like he was destined to get caught….

[David]

That might not be a view held by some of his targets.

 

I don't give a whit what his targets think.

[David]

Says the main deep inside the financial industry. I wouldn't expect you to love any part of him.

[David]

Hey, I'm not meaning to rile you folks up. I just hate to see an aggressive prosecutor type go down for a personal reason. I think we need more of them. I also find it a bit incongruous that we raise "sexual sin" to such a level, especially in a setting like this.

 

Yeah, I know about the possible federal interstate fund issues. I just think they're window dressing.

[Ken H.]

I really wonder if, as a nation, we have bigger fish to fry than what two adults give each other money for in a transaction like this. Who freakin' cares, really.

 

I'm guessing the outrage is more the inconsistency in position--the high and mighty evil killer who lives a private life doing what he rails against.

 

Him being a big giant hypocrite on the issue is what really gets me too. (And yet again yet another example of it.)

 

But we shouldn't loose sight of the fact that he broke the law. Agree or disagree that it should or shouldn't be, never-the-less engaging in the services of a prostitute for money is a crime. So on that fact at least, I think we can and should freakin' care.

[Dave McReynolds]

I really care less what the Gov did or didn't do in his private time - leave that between him and his wife.

 

What I do care about is the FBI wasting a lot of our public money investigating it, when there are probably incipient domestic terror plots, major financial fraud, and other significant criminal activity that no doubt needs their attention. I do understand that they originated the investigation because there was a suspicion of financial fraud, money laundering, or misuse of public funds. But when they found out there wasn't, they should have moved on. Transporting a grown woman over a state line for immoral purposes? Come on, give me a break.

[ghaverkamp]

What I do care about is the FBI wasting a lot of our public money investigating it, when there are probably incipient domestic terror plots, major financial fraud, and other significant criminal activity that no doubt needs their attention. I do understand that they originated the investigation because there was a suspicion of financial fraud, money laundering, or misuse of public funds. But when they found out there wasn't, they should have moved on. Transporting a grown woman over a state line for immoral purposes? Come on, give me a break.

 

The Executive has a duty to investigate and prosecute crimes as they are determined by the legislature. To suggest they should just look away when they come across a crime is much like the current Executive's signing statements. Hardly the right thing.

 

The larger issue with the Mann Act in this day and age is human sex trafficking, which is a huge issue. I have no problem with the FBI investigating cases that might lead in that direction. Obviously, that wasn't the case here. However, they also have evidence that the act was violated. I imagine this will be resolved without the expense of a trial. This strikes me as people doing their jobs.

 

If you disagree with the job, then you should lobby Congress to repeal the Mann Act.

[Dave McReynolds]

The Executive has a duty to investigate and prosecute crimes as they are determined by the legislature. To suggest they should just look away when they come across a crime is much like the current Executive's signing statements. Hardly the right thing.

 

The larger issue with the Mann Act in this day and age is human sex trafficking, which is a huge issue. I have no problem with the FBI investigating cases that might lead in that direction. Obviously, that wasn't the case here. However, they also have evidence that the act was violated. I imagine this will be resolved without the expense of a trial. This strikes me as people doing their jobs.

 

If you disagree with the job, then you should lobby Congress to repeal the Mann Act.

 

Not necessarily. Law enforcement agencies make determinations all the time as to how to most effectively allocate their scarce resources. Otherwise, we, as riders of fast motorcycles, would have a lot more speeding tickets than we already accumulate. I suppose JFK should have been arrested, and FDR should have been arrested, and DWE should have been arrested, for similar activities, according to what I've read. But they weren't, assuming they actually did such things, because people had higher priorities, as well they should.

[Mister Tee]

Legally, his crime isn’t that serious. I don’t know New York law but I doubt the fact that he seriously overpaid for services elevates the crime past a misdemeanor. Ethically, his crime was that he cheated on his wife and exercised promiscuity. That would have been the same had he boinked an intern in the back of his office for free.

 

That said, he has a COMPLETELY INCOMPETENT PR advisor. Now I’m no practicing attorney at all, but had Esq. Tee written his press speech, it would have gone down something like this:

 

“As you all know, some hurtful and damaging allegations have been leveled toward me. Since we are still learning about the details of these allegations, as they are unfolding as we speak, I am not able to discuss the details of them at this time. But let me assure you that my commitment to the public, and to my family remains strong, and I fully intend to resolve whatever legal issues are being directed toward me. Please feel free to ask any questions.”

 

(Answer to most questions) “Again, I do not know the full details of these charges yet.”

 

(Answer to the question of “did you have sex with a prostitute”) “I can’t even imagine myself participating in such an activity.”

 

Then our man cops a plea, pays his fine, and he explains to the press why although ethically it was distasteful not to seek justice, it was in the best interest of everyone to do so since it’s such a minor issue, and he needs to focus is time and resources on public service and family, blase blase. And then in a few months all is forgiven and forgotten.

[Dave McReynolds]

That said, he has a COMPLETELY INCOMPETENT PR advisor. Now I’m no practicing attorney at all, but had Esq. Tee written his press speech, it would have gone down something like this:

 

Actually, his forthright disclosures, and avoidance of the usual doubletalk, are the one ray of sunshine I see in this whole sordid mess.

[Matts_12GS]

Then our man cops a plea, pays his fine, and he explains to the press why although ethically it was distasteful not to seek justice, it was in the best interest of everyone to do so since it’s such a minor issue, and he needs to focus is time and resources on public service and family, blase blase. And then in a few months all is forgiven and forgotten.

 

And 8 years later his wife runs for President?

 

Seriously though, I've heard a lot of mention of the Mann Act on this since the women were coming in from out of state. Anyone else heard that? Any validity?

[Mister Tee]

Then our man cops a plea, pays his fine, and he explains to the press why although ethically it was distasteful not to seek justice, it was in the best interest of everyone to do so since it’s such a minor issue, and he needs to focus is time and resources on public service and family, blase blase. And then in a few months all is forgiven and forgotten.

 

And 8 years later his wife runs for President?

 

Seriously though, I've heard a lot of mention of the Mann Act on this since the women were coming in from out of state. Anyone else heard that? Any validity?

 

I don't think it's applicable. The crime occurred within State boundaries. The crossing of state boundaries during the commission of a crime of human trafficking and prostitution is what triggers the Mann act. Unless the FBI can establish that some element of the crime, like a monetary transfer, occurred across state lines, I see no case.

[ghaverkamp]

Not necessarily. Law enforcement agencies make determinations all the time as to how to most effectively allocate their scarce resources. Otherwise, we, as riders of fast motorcycles, would have a lot more speeding tickets than we already accumulate.

 

Sure. A decision is made on whether or not to prosecute speeders. Similarly, a decision is yet to be made on whether or not to prosecute Spitzer. However, when police are patrolling, whether they refer someone for prosecution by ticketing, they are carrying out their enforcement duties. The police investigate the speeding "crimes." Here, the FBI investigated what at first looked like money laundering activity, which blossomed into an international prostitution ring. They have a duty to investigate and the prosecutors have a duty to prosecute, and they do have some discretion.

 

However, given the potential seriousness of this crime, it's hard to understand how the FBI would have been advised to stop investigating. It's much easier in hindsight to declare that they should have used more discretion because we know we ended up with an American 22-year-old wannabe musician as the prostitute.

 

I suppose JFK should have been arrested, and FDR should have been arrested, and DWE should have been arrested, for similar activities, according to what I've read. But they weren't, assuming they actually did such things, because people had higher priorities, as well they should.

 

(DWE?) Is a return to the Hoover FBI really what you'd like to see?

[notacop]

If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand! Stay home with the wifey and don't hurt yourself pondering!

[ghaverkamp]

I don't think it's applicable. The crime occurred within State boundaries. The crossing of state boundaries during the commission of a crime of human trafficking and prostitution is what triggers the Mann act. Unless the FBI can establish that some element of the crime, like a monetary transfer, occurred across state lines, I see no case.

 

The rendezvous with "Kristen," who came from NYC, was in D.C.

 

Because funds transfer infrastructure is an instrumentality of interstate commerce (permitting its regulation), the funds wouldn't have to cross state lines to reach interstate commerce.

[Mister Tee]

I don't think it's applicable. The crime occurred within State boundaries. The crossing of state boundaries during the commission of a crime of human trafficking and prostitution is what triggers the Mann act. Unless the FBI can establish that some element of the crime, like a monetary transfer, occurred across state lines, I see no case.

 

The rendezvous with "Kristen," who came from NYC, was in D.C.

 

Because funds transfer infrastructure is an instrumentality of interstate commerce (permitting its regulation), the funds wouldn't have to cross state lines to reach interstate commerce.

 

I understand your point, but electronic fund transfer is a de facto method of conducting all commerce including local, and the default point of sale is at the location of the buyer. I think it would be a weak argument. Plus there is case law that establishes that a physical aspect of a crime of moral perpitude must cross state boundaries for Federal statues to apply.

 

That's my opinion, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

[ghaverkamp]

I understand your point, but electronic fund transfer is a de facto method of conducting all commerce including local, and the default point of sale is at the location of the buyer. I think it would be a weak argument.

 

It doesn't matter. Congress may (and does) regulate the interstate banking system. The funds transfers were made using the interstate banking system. Whether the funds left the state has no impact on whether or not the funds left the state, but whether they were transferred in an instrumentality or channel of interstate commerce. Because the interstate (and international) banking system is an instrumentality or channel of interstate commerce, and because it is well established that Congress may regulate it, the funds transfers at issue, if illegal, expose Spitzer to federal laws.

 

It's hardly a weak argument. It's the strongest claims against Spitzer.

 

Plus there is case law that establishes that a physical aspect of a crime of moral perpitude must cross state boundaries for Federal statues to apply.

 

Yes. And because "Kristen" was transported from New York to D.C. to see Spitzer, she crossed state boundaries.

[Mister Tee]

Yes. And because "Kristen" was transported from New York to D.C. to see Spitzer, she crossed state boundaries.

 

I thought she transported herself? That in itself doesn't kick in Federal provisions. Whether or not the money Spitzer paid her to travel to and from New York counts for that purpose depends on where the point-of-sale of the transaction was deemed to have occurred. Spitzer's attorney will argue that it was in New York. Whoever influences or strongarms Spitzer's credit card company more for supporting evidence will be who wins that battle.