What would you do?

Let us imagine that you are a celebrity and you have been asked to speak at a charitable event. Knowing full well that the charity needs every penny for its cause, what demands would you make to the charity? What would you charge as your speaking fee? How should the sponsors of the event pay for your transportation?

I am not a celebrity. However, if someone wanted to hear me speak, at the most, I would ask for a round trip airline ticket, and $1 as my speaking fee. I would even pay for my own hotel accommodations. I think that is very reasonable.

Raw Story is reporting that presidential candidate, Rudy Giuliani, asked for and received an obscene amount of money for a speaking engagement for a charity. Here are some excerpts:

In the video below, CNN reports on Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani's eye-opening speaking fees.

While charging speaking fees is a regular practice for expert and celebrity speakers, some are criticizing Giuliani for collecting speaking fees from charities. CNN reports on one appearance at a 2005 tsunami fundraiser for which Giuliani received $100,000, and also mentions a contract stipulation that the former New York City mayor be given the use of a "private aircraft -- must be a Gulfstream 4 or bigger."

Link for video. Giuliani's $100,000 speaking fee could have fed many people and provided an incredible amount of medical care for the tsumani victims. We will just never know how many could have been helped because Giuliani took the money.