Ben Stein Says He's Upper Middle Class on Q&A

During an interview with Brian Lamb on C-SPAN's Q&A Sunday night, Ben Stein says he's upper middle class when Lamb asks him how much money he makes to speak. I'd like to know what his idea of the middle is.

Here's an interview from Fortune Magazine on Ben Stein and his houses he was talking about.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/06/25/100100341/i...

And here's most of the transcript:

Lamb: You know you said something about the people that are doing all this horrible stuff. We never see those people do we?

Stein: Ah, I see them.

Lamb: Where do you see them?

Stein: Ah I see them at events sometimes.

Lamb: So you know that there's an evil one over there?

Stein: Well I don't, I don't, you know I shouldn't say evil. I should not have said evil. I mean I'm probably, I'm, if I could...well you know I was going to say if I could press a button and become a billionaire while a lot of people suffered I would probably do it too. But I don't think I would do it. That's probably why I'm never going to be rich. I'm just not..you know a woman years ago said to me you're never going to be rich because you just don't have the guts, and uh, she's right.

Lamb: You're not rich with all those properties?

Stein: Well I'm upper middle class.

Lamb (laughing): Upper middle class?

Stein: Well I have mortgages on some of them.

Lamb: How much does...let me ask you this. I mean, how much does somebody pay you to come and speak?

Stein: Uh...nowhere near as much as they pay Bill Clinton. Not even close. I mean the price of a median sized to a fairly nice car.

Lamb: So you're talking thirty five to fifty thousand dollars?

Stein: Roughly that.

Lamb: How many of those do you make a year?

Stein: Ah...I make a very good living. I earn a very good living, but that is nothing compared to what the people in the hedge funds make who make hundreds of millions or billions. I mean as a successful hedge fund trader who gets his clients results barely above the S&P 500 can make hundreds of millions in a year.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Q&A
• C-SPAN
• Ben
• Stein
• Brian
• Lamb
• Upper
• Middle
• Class

[tomisinsaigon]

So I'm lost here: Do I rate the video 1 star because Stein is clueless, or 5 stars because of the point videocafeblog is making? Anything in between seems unfair to both.

[videocafeblog]

Lol...I appreciate that. I believe if you want more people to see it you rate it up and if you don't you rate it down, but of course everyone has their own reasons for how they will rate a video. I thought the rule of thumb on You Tube is that highest rated videos get pushed up the list where more people see them. Unless something really takes off it doesn't make much difference though. Without a ton of views the ratings don't matter much.

[OzStone]

Ben Stein has demonstrated that he has no understanding of science. Why would anyone give this man money?

[takotheoktopus]

That documentary about Intelligent Design that he was apart of pretty much proved to me that Ben Stein is one of the most intellectually dishonest people I have ever seen.

[Shelbzism]

I see Ben's point. We the people can not fathom the wealth involved in thousands of millions of dollars.

[t1ngley]

Look how smug he is when he says that shit.

[MagnesDrachen13]

He's paid $30,000 to speak and he's "upper middle class"? Did I miss the meeting where everyone can just declare themselves "a working man" no matter what they actually are? Is he making as much as George W Bush? No. But is he anywhere near the actual middle class? No.

[pmontaner]

Haha what an idiot

Lamb is genius: "you're not rich with all those properties?"

[NotSoOldHippy]

That insane cultist is irrelevant. The guy is a frothingly insane Christian fascist and a Creationist lunatic. What kind of a sick, insane fuck listens to anything that these Christofascist morons say?

[bushputz]

Is anybody else sick and tired of listening to these out of touch morons spout their idiotic 'thoughts' about things they know absolutely nothing about?

Hey Ben - when was the last time you had to stretch a paycheck by skipping meals or taking the bus? How many of your friends are scared to death because they have to choose between paying their mortgage, medical bills, or their utility bill?

Why don't you just STFU

[bushputz]

I bust my ass day-in and day-out all year to make about what this ass makes for one speaking engagement. Many of the people I work with make even less.

We are the backbone of America - the people that actually produce something.

Screw Stein, screw McCain, screw Bush and Cheney. They are all parasites that have been sucking us dry far too long.

[undocumentedspot]

Which is more useful to society? 1-Billionaire who spends his money on weapons and lies (I do not mean Stein). (Upper class?) or 2-Homeless who tries to survive? (Lower class?) .  Money does not make you more human, though it is useful tool and necessary for better life, it has nothing to do with your class. it should be called Fat pocket, athletic pocket, slim pocket not upper class/middle class/lower class.