He seemed to indicate that he would NOT sign the AIG-targeted 90% bonus taxation bill. This is an honest kudos post, he certainly sees that in other cases people do need to be paid what they are worth to the marketplace.

I don't see what the uproar is over the principal of a firm that received government funds giving bonuses to people. I understand the AIG case, where they have taken on so much money for failure that it is odd that some would receive such high bonuses. But don't doctors make a lot of money? Don't the boards / ownerships of hospitals get bonuses and make a lot of money? Those organizations take government subsidies (Medicare payments, etc) all the time and I'm not sure why that is so different.

This is why populism is a terrible strategy. I say publish the names and let the masses worry about it. Enough death threat and no one will want to take the money. Problem solved w/o gov't intervention.

I liked what someone said on Meet The Press this weekend... how about Obama calls the recipients and personally asks them to consider returning the money for the good of the country?

How about we pass some serious ball-busting regulation on these big companies so this never happens again. Stop worrying about the pennies in bonuses and get the head of the beast. We cannot change what has happened but we sure as hell can send these thieves off to exile and prevent an new generation of them. This all has been nothing more than a bald faced power grab by the financial institutions that run us. That is right Companies, not a fictional government of by and for the people, run YOU.

They are just skipping the lobbying and taking our money directly now in the form of 'bailout money'. It is really just a tax by the government for corporations. Our masters are treating us very poorly indeed.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2009 09:52AM by dono.

AIG Gave Obama $101,332


Senator Barack Obama received a $101,332 bonus from American International Group in the form of political contributions according to Opensecrets.org. The two biggest Congressional recipients of bonuses from the A.I.G. are -- Senators Chris Dodd and Senator Barack Obama.

The A.I.G. Financial Products affiliate of A.I.G. gave out $136,928, the most of any AIG affiliate, in the 2008 cycle. I would note that A.I.G.’s financial products division is the unit that wrote trillions of dollars’ worth of credit-default swaps and "misjudged" the risk.

With the anger and rage that is being exhibited against A.I.G., perhaps the bonuses Obama received from A.I.G. explain Obama's A.I.G crocodile tears.

Now that the Wall street Journal has revealed that A.I.G. paid bonuses of $1 million or more to 73 employees, it's time to ask if recipients of A.I.G. "bonuses," including President Obama, will give what now ought to be taxpayer money back?

Nope. It's time to ask yourself, why you voted for this chump?
Attachments:

I wonder how long it will take, until the Obama Love Fest Ends, and most everyone realizes he's not actually not going to do half of what he promised. We've already seen that he's not kept his promise of 'openness'

I will predict right now that the US won't be out of Iraq in 2011. ("Earlier in the week, when details of Obama's official Iraq plan began to emerge, expressions of surprise poured from the offices of the congressional Democratic leadership over his intention to keep a force of 35,000 to 50,000 troops in the country beyond 2010.")

Oh, yeah, just 50,000 troops....that's a....ah..complete...ah withdraw...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeremy-scahill/obamas-iraq-all-troops-ou_b_170765.html

The disappointments will just keep on coming. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss (albeit a better speaker, whoop-d'-doo)


The Obameter: Tracking Obama's Campaign Promises
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/

Muslims In The White House


In a bid to get more Muslims working in the Obama administration, a book with resumes of 45 of the nation's most qualified -- Ivy League grads, Fortune 500 executives and public servants, all carefully vetted -- has been submitted to the White House.

The effort, driven by community leaders and others, including U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., was bumped up two weeks because White House officials heard about the venture, said J. Saleh Williams, program coordinator for the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, who sifted through more than 300 names.

"It was mostly under the radar," Williams said. "We thought it would put (the president) in a precarious position. We didn't know how closely he wanted to appear to be working with the Muslim American community."