| The government giveth and the government taketh | | | | I'm having trouble deciding what message is actually |
| away. That seems to be lesson we can take away | | | | coming out of Washington. Are the banks that valuable |
| from the recent events in Washington. The good | | | | that we have to spare no expense to save them, yet |
| congressmen and senators, eyes bloodshot with rage | | | | the people running them so morally crippled with greed |
| promised the American taxpayer that the outrage of | | | | that they cannot be trusted to handle our money? The |
| AIG taking money from the government (read | | | | conspiracy theorist in me sees in this action an attempt |
| taxpayer), then giving millions of it out to their | | | | to shore up the institution of banking while removing |
| employees in the form of bonuses would not be | | | | the bankers. To what effect? Possibly big government |
| allowed to continue. | | | | sympathizers whose loyalties lie with the Obama |
| We were told that these were retention bonuses that | | | | administration rather than with the shareholders and |
| would keep these high performing employees on the | | | | depositors. I don't know... just a thought. But the way |
| job. These are the same high performing employees | | | | they have been demonized by the press and |
| that produced the massive profits that led the | | | | congress... even the President, I am concerned that |
| company to come back to the taxpayers time after | | | | these evil financial wizards are about to be marched |
| time – promising each time would be the last. | | | | off to an encampment next to Joe Arpaio's desert |
| After nearly bursting a blood vessel and almost falling | | | | prison. |
| into an apoplectic seizure, Senator Dodd came back | | | | More likely this is just a bunch of political types, not |
| the next day and admitted that he had actually | | | | smart enough to come up with the more involved plan, |
| inserted a provision in the porkulus bill that specifically | | | | looking for cover when a payback for huge political |
| permitted these employees to receive the bonuses. | | | | contributions to Sen. Dodd, the President and many |
| So much for the claim of surprise! The man should get | | | | others is exposed. It may be that seeing the light in the |
| an Oscar for his manufactured rage as it's difficult to | | | | distance from the torch and pitchfork brigade of |
| be sincerely angry with someone for doing what you | | | | outraged citizens made them turn on the people who |
| said was permissible. After more prodding the good | | | | helped get them elected. |
| Senator also remembered that that he had inserted | | | | One almost has to feel sorry for the executives at |
| the provision at the request of the Obama | | | | AIG who thought their contributions to the Democrats |
| administration through the Treasury Secretary's office. | | | | bought them immunity from common sense business |
| So we have the public and much of our government | | | | practices... particularly when the actions of Dodd and |
| going into a hissy fit over one more action of our new | | | | Geithner specifically paved the way for them to |
| president. How did this come about? Are the people in | | | | receive their rewards. Unfortunately for the execs, |
| the White House so inept or confused that one hand | | | | they found out you can't make deals with the devil. |
| does not know what the other hand is doing? That | | | | Those giving to and voting for hope and change |
| would be the easy ,but not very comforting, answer. | | | | apparently did not get the change they hoped for. |
| The answer could be more sinister. Could it be one | | | | Perhaps a lesson can be found here for many in the |
| more distraction to keep us from noticing the really | | | | business community that looking to curry favor with |
| damaging behavior of the Obama administration... kind | | | | those who don't understand and value what you do |
| of like the fuss about Rush Limbaugh. | | | | and who are basically looking for sources of revenue |
| Could it be that the millions of dollars flushed down the | | | | to fund their grand social schemes, may make you the |
| drain in AIG bonuses were just a smoke screen to | | | | next village getting looted in the pursuit of their |
| hide the billions of dollars AIG funneled to foreign | | | | impossible, and I might add, immoral, dream. |
| banks? I have to wonder why this does not make the | | | | This brings us back to looking at politics and |
| lawmakers at least as angry. I would think that seeing | | | | government in a radical new way: looking for what is |
| all those taxpayer dollars flowing overseas doing | | | | good for the entire country full of people rather than |
| nothing toward the proclaimed purpose of making | | | | what I think will benefit me. Sure this means that you |
| credit available to US businesses would make loyal | | | | won't get any special advantage or be supplied by the |
| officials go through the roof. This money isn't doing a | | | | work of someone else... it also means it won't blow up |
| whole lot to help people facing foreclosure on their | | | | in your face and you won't be publicly pilloried and |
| homes either. All it has done is help a multi-national | | | | threatened. You may not get quite the financial reward, |
| corporation get its books in looking a little better, and | | | | but then you may well have a strengthened customer |
| for all we know, making massive bonuses possible to | | | | base... and that's not all bad. As Rick Warren would |
| foreigners in Dubai? | | | | say, "It's not about you. |