$80,000 for Arianna Huffington's speech is appalling

A big — as in HUGE — editorial is needed concerning the outrageous sums Accent Speakers Bureau pays to speakers. The $80,000 that will go to Arianna Huffington is just the latest outrage. (I'm a liberal so my objection is not political.)

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when speakers at colleges received travel-related expenses and perhaps a small stipend — an honorarium. The huge fees now paid are especially inexcusable at a time when so much focus is on the cost of college and student debt.

Most egregious is paying enormous sums to government figures, current or retired, who love to call themselves public servants. Hypocrites?

You guys ultimately pay these guys. Speak up!

— Geoff Pietsch, Gainesville resident