Not to downplay the bonuses, but they were less than 0.1% of the AIG bailout

[Stinky The Clown]

and less than .001% of the whole bailout so far.

The AIG bonuses where INSIGNIFICANT with respect to what is being wrought, financially. Yet they are sucking all the air out of the room and they are great demigogic fodder for the Congressional and administration gasbags.

Hell, I am as guilty as anyone for yammering on about these bonuses.

But They Pale In Comparison to all the rest of the money that's being spent.

No, I am not saying to ignore them or to shut up about them. I **am** saying that they are a sideshow. The REAL crimes are what has been going on with government fronting from white collar criminals for DECADES.

YOUR (OUR) GOVERNMENT has been colluding with big bidniss to our detriment for as long as anyone can recall, but more so since that ratfuckmotherfucker Regan was in office. And the Democrats are as deep into it as the repubicans. Not as evil about it, but surely as deep.

Today is a sideshow, no more significant than a puppet show in the park on an old fashioned summer Sunday.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Yes, yes, yes.

That is exactly my reaction to this whole brouhaha. We are being played.

[wryter2000]

6. Also agreed

The repukes are using it as a smoke screen for the bigger issues that Phil Gramm and * ruined our economy. They can feign outrage in hopes that people ignore the real problems, and the media predictably are playing along.

[EFerrari]

8. Yep. CSPAN Theater. n/t

[C......N......C]

2. They all feed at the same troth.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. The word "poutrage" gets thrown around a lot these days...

[polichick]

4. Fake outrage to cover their stinky butts!

[grasswire]

5. a limited hangout

This is the "sixteen words" of the AIG matter. Bushies used that technique to perfection. Lakoff explained it to us as "framing."

Thanks for pointing this out.

[Fireweed247]

7. yes, thank you for putting it in perspective

When I think about all the trouble they went through to make(steal) money in Iraq...all of the lies, the faked documents, having to control the whole media to cover their lies....geez that was some real work for them.

The international bankers just ripped us off for so much more, based on nothing but moving their money offshore then lying about 'losing' money...another Shock and Awe and we(our children) are screwed for decades.

This whole thing is so outrageously stupid and obvious I cannot stand it!!

[Vinca]

9. Wasn't it Gary Ackerman who just said essentially the same thing

and why don't you just pay the money back to the American people and end this brouhaha?

[backscatter712]

10. Slick Rantelli said the same thing.

But I still say it misses the point. Sure it's a drop in the bucket when compared to the overall bailout amount.

But it amounts to rewarding of bad behavior. We're letting these assclowns roll away with millions, after they ran their company into the ground and came in front of Congress on bended knee begging for taxpayer money to clean up their mess. If they fucked up, they should not be rewarded.

As a quick aside, why are several people who left AIG walking away with "retention bonuses" - they don't seem to be doing a good job of retaining their top bigwigs, do they?

[Stinky The Clown]

12. "But it amounts to rewarding of bad behavior. We're letting these assclowns roll away ........"

.... etc.

Yes, that's true. But the point of the OP is that this is a carefully orchestrated diversion to calm the seething masses and convey the impression that OUR GOVERNMENT gives a fuck.

They don't.

[Lex]

11. right, very small comparatively, and exactly why they should give them back

since it's such a small amount

[TahitiNut]

13. Cockroaches don't eat much. Why do people get all upset about them?

This is why the "top 0.1%" make out like bandits and become obscenely wealthy. They skim. Vigorish. They dip their greedy snouts into every honeypot and get wealthy on every GAIN and every LOSS. The "system" is crooked and they're the "house."

[Gin]

14. these bonuses may be the first of many for this year.....if they are

allowed and no changes are in place...they will get 1 billion more in 09...from what I read.