AIG: Arrogant, Incompentent and Greedy

Un-flipping-believable.

Now, I think I heard about this whole ridiculous bonus issue a few months ago, so I was confused as to the reasons why we're all just now freaking out about it. Especially while watching Congress go ballistic after voting themselves an 8% pay increase, all while entertaining lobbyists from AIG and other undesirables, and passing laws (and loopholes) that allowed all this to happen in the first place.

Sad thing is, something like 52 employees that received these "retention bonuses" received them after they had already left the company. One in particular accepted over a $4 million bonus and then resigned.

My husband (always wanting to argue with me whether he truly agrees or not) said to me, "You can't tell me you'd turn down a multi-million dollar bonus if your company offered it to you." I felt like he punched me in the stomach, because OF COURSE I WOULDN'T. I proudly boast a couple rare little qualities known as character and morality. Even if my company would have given us our bonuses this year (which they didn't), I would have at least emailed the president of the hospital and asked him if he thought it was a good idea in the condition of our present economic situation.

Edward Liddy was mobbed...er...interviewed today by Congress (a hypocrisy in itself) where he had the nerve to say that he asked the employees who received over $100,000 to return at least half of it. Half? How 'bout all? And then when Barney Frank asked him if he would be willing to turn over the names of those executives who refused, Mr. Liddy said that he would consider it if there was a promise of anonymity.

Is this guy for real? Barney basically told him that there would be no such agreement, and to expect a subpoena. Hell yea, they should subpoena all these self deserving assholes. Then they should post their identity for public knowledge. Then see how many of them cough it up. McCarthyism my ass. The difference here is that these people aren't teachers and factory workers and nurses that have unfairly targeted for having a minority political opinion. These people robbed us blind. Only Rush Limbaugh, who makes something like $50 million a year would call that McCarthyism.

I don't care if their multi-million dollar bonuses are a minute fraction of what they're used to living on. I don't care if it was in their contract. They should be held accountable and I'm pretty confident that no one will ever do that, because the the people running Congress and the people running Wall Street are pretty much interchangeable. Literally. I'd really like to see the numbers on how many congressmen once had jobs in the financial market and how many CEOs of those bankrupt companies once were lawmakers.

Not that I have any faith in Barney Frank. I don't have faith in Congress at all anymore. Filibuster is now a household word, being used by the Senate something like 112 times in the 2007-08 term, more than doubling its use since the previous term. I doubt they know I (and most of the country) see them as siveling, whiney, greedy and pompous. Their least endearing quality is the fact that I really don't think they even care what we think.

People need to make it a priority next chance to elect some Eliot Nesses and his "untouchables". Electing congressmen on familiarity of their name alone is just as much of a moral crime as what they do with their position after we shoe them in. Everyone needs to take some personal responsibility, not just while deciding on their vote, but in all areas of their lives. A little more responsibility and we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with.