Note that these people never suggest the man’s salary is cutting into their pay or that he sacrifice part of his earning power to help them earn more.

sorry, but that’s ridiculous. anyone who has worked production knows full well that is not how line budgets work. networks earmark $ for many different budgets on a given show, it’s not just a raw number. additionally, it’s highly unlikely for a successful show to cut essential crew unless they are simply overstaffed…