Rudy Giuliani, Reference Groups, and Rampant Motherfuckery

Poor Rudy. I feel for him.

Vanity Fair has a profile of Judith Stish Ross Nathan Giuliani (the third iteration of Mrs. Giuliani for Rudy) in this months issue.

Check this out:

And when she met Giuliani, Felder adds, he didn't have much money, either, "because Rudy was living on a mayor's salary"—$195,000 a year—"and had no inherited wealth, and was supporting his family very, very well."

Raoul Felder was Rudolph "Benito" Giuliani's divorce lawyer, the one that Rudy sent out to publicly humiliate his then-wife, Donna Hanover. The way Giuliani treated his family during that divorce should go down in the annals of motherfuckery. Felder, sonofabitch that he is, also represented Judith blah blah blah Giuliani a few years ago in a custody battle over a child from a previous marriage.

But about that paltry mayor's salary--this shit makes me sick.

Since when is $200,000 not "much money"? Boo fucking hoo. The median household income in 1999 (warning: PDF), when the already-married Giuliani met this woman, was just a hair under $42,000/year. His salary would have put Rudy in the top 2.4% of all income earners in the US then.

As far as how much money he had to pay in alimony: If he hadn't been such a colossal douchebag to his ex-wives, he wouldn't have had to pay out as much cash.

Who the fuck are these people comparing salaries with? "Only" $200,000? I've been hanging out with the wrong people my entire life, apparently, since I am under the impression that a six-figure salary is pretty fucking good. Especially when you live in Gracie Mansion and don't pay any rent. Only 200 G's. I'll file that under "Problems I Wish I Had."

Check out James Wolcott's take on this piece. But I should warn you--you'll laugh out loud, and maybe throw up in your mouth a little.

Originally found over at InstaPutz, your clearinghouse for mockery of Glenn Reynolds (InstaCracker to some) and Ann Althouse (The Shrieking Harpy of Wisconsin).