It is reported Sirius Radio will give Howard Stern 34 million shares of stock currently valued at $220 million as part of his five-year, $500 million contract with the satellite radio venture.

The 52-year-old radio disc jockey recently was on the Fox News show, “The O’Reilly Factor.” When asked who his audience was, he answered, “Strippers, hookers and crack whores.” He then went on to elaborate that his audience is the average guy at work.

Money doesn’t grow on trees, but owners of Sirius Radio must think Americans care about what Howard Stern has to say, enough so to pay him $500 million.

America’s appetite for junk, lowest common denominator, voyeuristic entertainment seems to be at an all-time high. How far will we go in supporting people and organizations like Stern? When will we realize this type of information/entertainment not only has no benefits, but, in fact, contributes to the slide of society’s values? How soon will this success story breed youth who want to emulate Stern, thinking that he became rich and famous doing this, so can I do the same or, better yet, one-up him?

Our heroes used to be leaders with integrity. There still are heroes and leaders, but it is wrong to place people like Howard Stern in that category. Our standards are slipping. What does this portend for our country?