Letter: Is the pay scale out of whack?

As a long-time Giants fan, I was thrilled by their World Series victory and the way they got there: Great pitching, defense and hitting.

But the memory I will hold the longest was the ceremonial first pitch before Game 2.

A young Marine, who lost both legs and his left arm during his second tour of Afghanistan, threw the pitch, nearly losing his balance. The crowd applauded, but the 43,000 plus people were there to see men making a minimum of $414,000 to many millions of dollars, play a game. I was immediately struck by the contrast.

I wonder how much, even with combat pay, the Marine made? How much are his disability payments? How was his medical care, having heard and read that some Veterans Administration hospitals are sub-par.

Pro teams have doctors and trainers to provide immediate care to their athletes. Was the young Marine able to get psychological care? I have heard and read that some vets must wait six months for an initial appointment. Many pro teams have sports psychologists available to the athletes.

These contrasts make me think that as a society we have our priorities wrong. Maybe we need to re-evaluate what is really important. Let's look at salaries of our educators, medical providers, firemen and police, etc.

Even the president of the United States, the leader of the free world, makes less than the MLB minimum.

Maria E. Mitchum

Colusa