Am I the only one thinking: $4,300 for two hours?

The highest paid lawyers in the country make about $1100 an hour. These are the brainest, smartest of them all. The ones that you want to hire if you’re facing 10 years in jail for, well, money laundering.

Apparently, Eliot Spitzer allegedly paid one of the women escorts in the prostitution scandal about $4,300 for two hours worth of “work”.

That’s $2150 an hour.

Is there something I don’t understand here?

Prostitution has to be the only profession where women actually make MORE money than men.

Press reports are saying that Spitzer allegedly paid up to $80,000 on his illicit activities. Charlie Sheen, who was allegedly involved in the Heidi Fleiss ring, supposedly paid $50,000. These are quite enormous sums for a roll in the sack. Apparently, Spitzer can afford it. From the Associated Press:

Spitzer’s vast personal wealth would have made it easy for him to spend thousands of dollars on prostitutes. The scion of a wealthy Manhattan real estate developer, Spitzer reported $1.9 million in income to the IRS in 2006.

The law of economics says that price is controlled by supply and demand. Maybe there isn’t enough supply of this and too much demand. Hence the high price.

But the talk around the water cooler today was, by both men AND women, “I’m in the wrong profession.”

Because to many people, $4,300 for two hours seems incredible.

But let’s not glamourize prostitution. For every woman charging $4,300, there are others that charge $5. Or get nothing.

It does make me wonder, though. What was it about these women that was special? Was it like the Mayflower Madam- an upscale service that had women of a certain caliber? Were they college educated? Speak french and russian? Look like models?

Several years ago, there were rumors of an alleged madam who was a student at Stanford’s Law School. Stanford Law is one of the most prestigious law schools in the country. Graduates can earn $165,000 upon graduation and more as their careers advance. Why would one of the women students run a prostitution ring?

Apparently, it was much more lucrative than the $165,000 a year. Much more.

And, in America, money talks- right?

More details are sure to emerge about Mr. Spitzer and his alleged activities with this prostution ring. In the meantime, the rest of us are left to wonder: $4,300 for two hours?