Part of me wants to stand up and cheer about this story...another part of me wants to cry that American values have fallen to this degree.  This is from the "Top 12 Rich Women in America".

"Judith "Judge Judy" Sheindlin
Rank: 13
Net Worth (in $ millions): 95
Age: 64
Marital Status: married
Kids: 5
Source: TV

Since Judge Judy debuted in 1996, the irascible former family court judge continues to dominate the daytime reality courtroom genre, spawning countless copycats. (The genre was all but written off following the demise of The People's Court in 1993.) Her $100 million, four-year contract, signed in 2004, makes her one of the highest-paid women in television. She has been nominated eight times for an Emmy award and written four books, all of which became national bestsellers."

This list of 20 top female money makers makes me cheer [as a child of the 60's].  Sort of...it should, right?  What makes me want to cry is that she makes more than all of our Supreme Court Justices TOTALLY make in a year.  Judge Judy has no ability to change legislation.  SCOTUS [Supreme Court Of The United States] can totally negate the decisions made by our democratically ELECTED officials.  Yet Americans pay more attention to Judge Judy, than they do SCOTUS.  How many of your neighbors noticed when SCOTUS allowed a change to imminent domain?  How about Roe v. Wade? 

I don't know about you, but it makes me slightly nauseous to think that we place more value both in time and money, on a television personality...without realizing that the black robed SCOTUS, not elected, with terms "for life".  These men and women can impact all of us, unborn children included, in ways in which Judge Judy can never do...yet she seems more highly valued in our capitalist-turning-socialist society.  I find it dismaying, if not frightening.