Give Jeff Dunham some props. He's the highest gro$$ing touring comedian.
http://www.therichest.org/entertainm...aid-comedians/
Ventriloquism is a rough niche for a comedian, its golden days are over. (RIP: Edgar Bergen, Paul Winchell, Shari Lewis). It takes a little more skill, i.e., you have to be able to throw your voice and... you have to spend money on your dummies/puppets. Think about it, in regular stand-up, you only have to be funny (or not). You don't have to invest hours learning ventriloquy or shelling out $ for your sidekick characters.
Also recommended: Tom Crowl, Jay Johnson (The Two and Only)