Huge Majority Believes Wall Street Bonuses Should be Returned (Poll)

[nakanishi oshi]

2-26-09
The Harris Poll

A new survey by The Harris Poll American attitudes to Wall Street finds a huge 83% majority of adults thinks that bonuses paid by financial institutions that lost money in 2008 should be returned and be paid to shareholders.

An even larger majority, 87% believe that “recent events have
shown that Wall Street should be subject to tougher regulation.”

Most people clearly do not understand the rationale for bonuses when a firm loses
money. A 78% majority thinks “Wall Street firms should only pay bonuses when they are
doing well and making good profits.” Only 22% accept the argument that “in order to
attract and retain top talent, these companies need to pay these large bonuses.”

These are some of the findings of The Harris Poll of 1,010 adults surveyed by telephone
by Harris Interactive between February 10 and 15, 2009.

(this is a pdf): http://harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/pubs/Harris_Poll_2009_02_26.pdf

[Lebam in LA]

1. I would not get a bonus if I screwed up

[LiberalFighter]

2. They need to tax them like they use to so it's not worth getting the megabucks.

[salguine]

3. Not only should the bonuses be returned, but any institutions that received

bailout money, and gave out bonuses with it, should have all the bailout money taken away, too, as punishment for their lack of perspective. If they fail, let 'em fail. Fuck 'em.

[RiverStone]

4. I have yet to hear one bonus baby say --- here ya go, take your money back!

Fuckers all!

Sen. Ron Wyden (and another legislator who's name escapes me) proposed a bill to this effect. Wonder what happened to it?

[yurbud]

5. I can't think of anything harsh enough to do to these guys.

[Optical.Catalyst]

6. Those Wall Street financial services employees make too much money as it is

The quote "in order to attract and retain top talent, these companies need to pay these large bonuses.” makes me laugh.

If they had 'top talent' then they would be making a profit and could pay bonuses from company money. Give me a break, they are paying bonuses to inept managers who have run their companies into the ground.

[bulloney]

7. If they had "top talent," we wouldn't be in the mess we're in.

We would have been growing the economy legitimately by generating new wealth legitimately, not these ponzi schemes they've been deploying.

[Optical.Catalyst]

8. If they didn't have 'top criminals' empowered by Republicans, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in

eom