Everything that’s been going on thus far was merely a warm-up to the real Jon and Kate Gosselin war, which got underway this week in court. So far, Kate’s ahead thanks to a ruling made by Judge Arthur R. Tilson.

For now, Jon Gosselin has been ordered to return $180,000 of the $235,000 he’s withdrawn from the joint bank account. According to Kate Gosselin lawyer Mark Momjian, Jon has to pony up the dough by October 26. “As difficult as this has been for me, I am pleased that the court has ruled fairly on behalf of myself and my children,” said Kate.

Let’s just pause for a second and really think about the staggering sum of $235,000, an amount which many Americans don’t earn even two years’ of work. As a matter of fact, the average firefighter/EMT earned approximately $47,000 annually in 2003…and they save lives.