So, this AIG exec has turned in his resignation in the NYT. He's giving his $742M bonus to charity. He feels "unfairly persecuted by elected officials."
Read his letter in the NYT-OpEd section here.
You can decide for yourself.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
OMG WTF AIG
A.I.G. Chief Asks Bonus Recipients to Give Back Half
Ever gotten a "bonus" at your job? Maybe it was enough to to cover a down payment on a new car or pay off a credit card. Did it feel good to be rewarded for your efforts? Maybe your department or even whole company had an "off year" but you performed well and were encouraged to work harder because of it.
When I heard about the A.I.G. bonuses, I wanted to believe that most of the $165M in bonuses were to folks like you or me. Hard-working middle-class people who got a little extra in these hard economic times. Yeah...not so much.
How is this shit not criminal?
I don't have a problem with people being rich. But good grief.
I could go on, at length, with an even more curse-laden diatribe but you get the idea...
.
Ever gotten a "bonus" at your job? Maybe it was enough to to cover a down payment on a new car or pay off a credit card. Did it feel good to be rewarded for your efforts? Maybe your department or even whole company had an "off year" but you performed well and were encouraged to work harder because of it.
When I heard about the A.I.G. bonuses, I wanted to believe that most of the $165M in bonuses were to folks like you or me. Hard-working middle-class people who got a little extra in these hard economic times. Yeah...not so much.
Of the 418 employees who received bonuses, 298 got more than $100,000, according to the New York attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo. The highest bonus was $6.4 million, and 6 other employees received more than $4 million. Fifteen other people received bonuses of more than $2 million and 51 received $1 million to $2 million.It baffles me. It knocks the wind out of me. It was shocking that the company gave out bonuses. Harder still to believe that these "bonuses" were clearly not tied to actual performance, but instead contractual. And still, none of that bothered me, angered me, as much as the actual per-person pay outs.
How is this shit not criminal?
I don't have a problem with people being rich. But good grief.
I could go on, at length, with an even more curse-laden diatribe but you get the idea...
.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Who Will Save Us?
Funny story here. Just a few days ago I was in an email chain describing my relationship with my friend "Cainam." It went like this...
Don Quixote had Sancho Panza! Shrek had Donkey. I can't go chasing windmills without Cainam.
Note: For some reason, I can't seem to adjust this picture to fit in my blog. Just click the image to read the whole thing. Also, if you don't already, read XKCD!
Friday, March 06, 2009
The New Symbol of America's Troubles
This from MSNBC...
Eagle survives crash through windshield
It may not be a Bald Eagle & that truck might not be the mortgage crisis, but it's the perfect symbol of this entire debacle. The truck windshild is fucked up. The bird's face is messed up too. But both are getting patched up.
So, remember as you watch Citi fall below a $1 a share, watch in awe as unsubstantiated fear rips health GE stock prices down the toilet & GM's living on a respirator and waiting for someone to pull the plug on bankruptcy.
The Eagle Lives! It lives in spite of all those moronic talkers on CNBC & Fox. It has been hit by the runaway truck of American excess & greed, and it's going to live to fight another day!
And never forget this isn't your daddy's Bald Eagle. He's the jackass driving the buss taking America to Hell. No this bird is our Golden Eagle. For we too feel like we've been hit by a truck. And if that golden can recover to fly someday, then so can we.
P.S. Dear Political Talking Heads! Fuck you too! Instead of being rabble inducers who talk out of your asses, try helping the President save the Eagle (that's us) from the truck!
Always make posts like this...on sleep meds...teatering on the edge of passing out...unable to think clearly...It's how Wallstreet's been managing our money all these years, and look how well their doing. The've gotten bonuses for screwing up all our lives. I wondered what their soul cost them?
Eagle survives crash through windshield
It may not be a Bald Eagle & that truck might not be the mortgage crisis, but it's the perfect symbol of this entire debacle. The truck windshild is fucked up. The bird's face is messed up too. But both are getting patched up.
So, remember as you watch Citi fall below a $1 a share, watch in awe as unsubstantiated fear rips health GE stock prices down the toilet & GM's living on a respirator and waiting for someone to pull the plug on bankruptcy.
The Eagle Lives! It lives in spite of all those moronic talkers on CNBC & Fox. It has been hit by the runaway truck of American excess & greed, and it's going to live to fight another day!
And never forget this isn't your daddy's Bald Eagle. He's the jackass driving the buss taking America to Hell. No this bird is our Golden Eagle. For we too feel like we've been hit by a truck. And if that golden can recover to fly someday, then so can we.
P.S. Dear Political Talking Heads! Fuck you too! Instead of being rabble inducers who talk out of your asses, try helping the President save the Eagle (that's us) from the truck!
Always make posts like this...on sleep meds...teatering on the edge of passing out...unable to think clearly...It's how Wallstreet's been managing our money all these years, and look how well their doing. The've gotten bonuses for screwing up all our lives. I wondered what their soul cost them?
Monday, March 02, 2009
Power
That storm system that swept across the eastern seaboard dumped about 4-5 inches of snow on us. That's saying a lot for the southern tip of North Carolina. There are just enough salt trucks in the region to hit the major interstates, but our town's snow plan is to wait for it to melt.
Around 9AM, just as the sun came out, the whole town of Waxhaw lost power. It stayed off until about 4PM. The house got down to about 55 Deg. Just as I was about to "free" my car (garage door opener didn't work) & drive to a mall or the library, the power came back on. It stayed on until about 5:30 then dropped for another hour. Hopefully, that'll be it for the night. But, we are taking some precautions.
I've gotten out the flashlights. Since the temperature outside is predicted to be in the teens tonight, we're cranking the heat for the rest of the evening.
It totally makes you think about people who lose power in ice-storms for days on end. I mean, no coffee, no computer, no heat is frustrating, but I didn't really suffer. I spent the day in a sunny room reading. I could "escape" anytime I wanted. Some folks aren't so lucky.
Around 9AM, just as the sun came out, the whole town of Waxhaw lost power. It stayed off until about 4PM. The house got down to about 55 Deg. Just as I was about to "free" my car (garage door opener didn't work) & drive to a mall or the library, the power came back on. It stayed on until about 5:30 then dropped for another hour. Hopefully, that'll be it for the night. But, we are taking some precautions.
I've gotten out the flashlights. Since the temperature outside is predicted to be in the teens tonight, we're cranking the heat for the rest of the evening.
It totally makes you think about people who lose power in ice-storms for days on end. I mean, no coffee, no computer, no heat is frustrating, but I didn't really suffer. I spent the day in a sunny room reading. I could "escape" anytime I wanted. Some folks aren't so lucky.
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