Pimping the media whores
The New York Times has announced that its columnists work will no longer be available for free on the internet, but instead will be available only to those paying a $50 subscription. Fair enough, as the subscription also gives one access to the NYT archives.
Just for fun though....Slate's Tim Noah is running a one day contest to see which of the columnists you would pay to read and how much you'd be willing to cough up. He reckons the archive is worth $25 and thus the other $25 should be divided amongst the eight main op-ed writers. Here's my payment plan:

*$10 goes to Paul Krugman - the K-man is one of the best and brightest in the biz, and his well-reasoned, well-researched and artfully written dope slaps to the Bush Junta are one of the best things in the Grey Lady.

*$5 each to the generally excellent Nicholas Kristof and Thomas L. Friedman.

*$4 to the only-slightly less excellent Frank Rich.

*$3 to Bob Herbert, whom I rarely read, but who seems to have his act together at least

*2 cents for Maureen Dowd, just because she makes me laugh occasionally, though not on purpose.

The reality-based amoung you will have noticed that we have exceed the $25 cap, but bear with me for a moment

*David Brooks should pay Krugman $2 out of his own pocket for the honor of appearing in the same publication. Furthermore, he should have to pay me $1 every time I read his inane and wrongheaded blatherings, thus paying for my Times online subscription. I know he writes more than one column a week, but one a week is about all I can stomach.

*John Tierney, whom I think of as Brooks-lite can cough up one-tenth of the fine levied against Brooks, thus supplying the two cents Dowd is paid.