Whose American Dream pays better?

Or better yet, whose American Dream is more acceptable?
Do you remember the recent uproar over bonus money paid to AIG executives? I do. They were paid bonuses that were contractually obligated to be paid.
Suddenly there was an uproar from the media, from the President, from Congress.
"This was not fair! AIG got bailout money from the fed! They paid these bonuses with taxpayer money! It's their fault we're all in this mess! Make them give it all back!"
Images were all over the media of protest groups arriving in buses to scream and shout in front of executives' homes.
Congress threatened to levy a retroactive, punitive 90% tax on these bonuses, and two-bit state attorney generals attempted to prosecute them.
Never mind that many of these executives had agreed to receive a salary of only one dollar, or that the buses were carrying ACORN activists posing as outraged citizens.
Many of these executives worked very hard, made large salaries, and took calculated risks that sometimes fail. These mechanics are all built into the system of capitalism.
This is the American Dream -- take a shot, work hard, make lots of money.
Matthew Stafford, former Georgia quarterback, signed a six-year deal with the Detroit Lions this weekend as the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft. His contract guarantees him $41.7 million. He could make as much as $78 million.
He is living his American Dream. He worked hard, took a chance on playing football for a living, and will make lots and lots of money. The Lions are excited to have him and hope he will help return the team to glory. He's a very good player, he may very well do that. Or, like many number one quarterbacks, he may fail.
As I was watching the draft, it seemed the prognosticators, commentators and experts were trying to temper expectations to an extent. Stafford can't do it all himself, they need other good players on the team around him, he'll need a couple years to become an elite player, and so forth. All good observations which really could apply to any number of the players that were drafted.
Yet, Stafford just had the biggest payday of his life, my life, your life, and millions of other people in this country. Many of the players drafted, in fact, will receive some very, very large checks.
So what happens when they fail? What happens if Matthew Stafford turns out just like many former number one quarterbacks such as Tim Couch, Ryan Leif, Andre Ware, or, heaven forbid, former Lion Joey Harrington?
If Matthew Stafford plays and the Lions still lose, does that mean buses full of ACORN employees will camp in front of his house to protest? Will the media publish his address while "journalists" and "anchors" rage about his earnings? Will Congress hold hearings and write retroactive punitive tax legislation to confiscate his first year salary? Will no-name politicians attempt to ride his temporary unpopularity to relevance?
Many players drafted this weekend will be making similar money, especially early first round picks. I'm talking millions of dollars. More than CEO money. Many of those players, however, will never even play in the NFL. Many who do play will only play for maybe a year or two, perhaps three. Many will play poorly. Ultimately, hundreds of millions of dollars will be thrown around, and only a handful of the players drafted will become great players. It happens every year, every draft.
No one can accurately predict how successful a player will ultimately be. But if Matthew Stafford struggles, he can at least take solace that all Lions fans can do is boo.