Republicans put the brakes on taxing AIG bonuses

[Chris]

The Republicans in the Senate are always looking out for the little guy.

 

[manu1959]

The Republicans in the Senate are always looking out for the little guy.

let me ask you this......how much money did anyone give directly to the little guy......

they have passed out about 1 trillion dollars in less than 2 months......

tell me ..... how much did you get......how much did they send you.....

because as far as i can tell.....they have given it to banks and state governments and union companies.....oh and they gave themselves raises.......

 

[Chris]

The Republicans in the Senate are always looking out for the little guy.

let me ask you this......how much money did anyone give directly to the little guy......

they have passed out about 1 trillion dollars in less than 2 months......

tell me ..... how much did you get......how much did they send you.....

because as far as i can tell.....they have given it to banks and state governments and union companies.....oh and they gave themselves raises.......

I have a bunch of young couples buying houses for the $8,000 tax credit.

Don't be so cynical. We are going to be alright.

We are Team America World Police.

 

[manu1959]

The Republicans in the Senate are always looking out for the little guy.

let me ask you this......how much money did anyone give directly to the little guy......

they have passed out about 1 trillion dollars in less than 2 months......

tell me ..... how much did you get......how much did they send you.....

because as far as i can tell.....they have given it to banks and state governments and union companies.....oh and they gave themselves raises.......

I have a bunch of young couples buying houses for the $8,000 tax credit.

Don't be so cynical. We are going to be alright.

We are Team America World Police.

i will take that as....you got nothing.......and young couples buying a house on a future tax credit......

here we go again.......

 

[Bern80]

Good for the Republicans.

Fatboy Rush is correct this time.

It's an idiotic tax.

So you fell incompetence should be rewarded.

I don't think it's governments business. I also don't think you know wether the people getting bonuses are incompetent or not. This would be an extremely bad precedent to set if we give government free reign to break private contracts. I'm not saying I agree with the bonuses, I simpy have no sympathy for a our government which is the group that rewarded incompetence in the first place with a bailout and then somehow expected the company to no longer behave as incompetent. You may want to read up on the details of this tax, for example the minor detail that it would be assessed on HOUSEHOLD income over 250k. Though I'm sure you are more than content to continue with the mobless mob mentality of the masses on this one rather than actually have to think.

 

[SwingVoter]

How did we know the party of no would say no?

well, I hope you're right and that they do become the party of no again

under that idiot Bush they became the party of Medicare Drug, Education Dept Expansion, More Gov't Employment

 

[Cecilie1200]

Good for the Republicans.

Fatboy Rush is correct this time.

It's an idiotic tax.

So you fell incompetence should be rewarded.

So you "fell" the Constitution can be ignored when the cause is right, at least in your opinion?

 

[Annie]

How did we know the party of no would say no?

well, I hope you're right and that they do become the party of no again

under that idiot Bush they became the party of Medicare Drug, Education Dept Expansion, More Gov't Employment

Well those Bush decisions were roundly criticized by many conservatives, along with his positions on illegal immigration, Dubai ports, and others. I can't wait for some of the liberals to say the same about 'that moron, Obama.'

 

[driveby]

How about every grandstanding idiot in congress that's going along with this, tax their own income by 90% ? I mean seriously, the incompetence of the AIG execs pale in comparison to the incompetence of these clowns. CSPAN has now become the funniest channel on TV......

 

[Annie]

How about every grandstanding idiot in congress that's going along with this, tax their own income by 90% ? I mean seriously, the incompetence of the AIG execs pale in comparison to the incompetence of these clowns. CSPAN has now become the funniest channel on TV......

and if Obama should sign it, IF it gets through the Senate, he'll take only 10% of his book deal.

 

[WillowTree]

Senate Republicans brake rush to tax AIG bonuses

I guess they are listening to their party leader, Fatboy Rush Limbaugh. NICE!

How did we know the party of no would say no?

because like a good little commie you swallow your kool aid every day.

 

[driveby]

How about every grandstanding idiot in congress that's going along with this, tax their own income by 90% ? I mean seriously, the incompetence of the AIG execs pale in comparison to the incompetence of these clowns. CSPAN has now become the funniest channel on TV......

and if Obama should sign it, IF it gets through the Senate, he'll take only 10% of his book deal.

 

[editec]

why does everyone assume that the folks that were going to be bonused were the very same people that tanked the company.....

Because we have been informed that that is the case, Manu.

they were retention bonuses....which means the guy the govt hired to run aig for a dollar wanted them there to help him fix this mess.......

Those bonus contracts were, we are informed, written BEFORE it was apparent that AIG was insolvent, BEFORE BUSH II, stepped into save it, and LONG before Obama was in office, I think.

 

[sarahgop]

democrats are dangerous people who want to attack people with the IRS.

 

[Yukon]

The GOP are in favour of the bonus' because those getting the bonus are GOP members who will donate to the Party. Bonus money = profit to the GOP

 

[Zoom-boing]

why does everyone assume that the folks that were going to be bonused were the very same people that tanked the company.....

Because we have been informed that that is the case, Manu.

they were retention bonuses....which means the guy the govt hired to run aig for a dollar wanted them there to help him fix this mess.......

Those bonus contracts were, we are informed, written BEFORE it was apparent that AIG was insolvent, BEFORE BUSH II, stepped into save it, and LONG before Obama was in office, I think.

Thank you for posting this. I read that those contracts were done in April 2008 (sorry, can't find the link), well before bailouts. They were giving bonuses to the people who ruined the company so they would stay . . . and fix the very mess they created. I also read that some of those same people - who were paid a hefty amount to stay - have left AIG. Retention bonus??

 

[Zoom-boing]

Looks like the Republicans aren't the only ones asking questions.

Rep. Waters Demands Obama Clarify AIG Bonus Provision

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., called on President Obama on Friday to explain what happened when a provision was added to his economic stimulus bill last month that allowed AIG employees to receive $165 million in bonuses.

Waters' comments were the strongest criticism yet from a Democrat over a controversy that continues to grow.

Rep. Waters Demands Obama Clarify AIG Bonus Provision - First 100 Days of Presidency - Politics FOXNews.com

 

[Annie]

My understanding over the past week is that most of those receiving these bonuses had nothing to do with the problem, in fact many didn't even work in that one awful division, those folks were gone when Lehman started going bad. For the most part these people were brought in to try and untangle what had happened, to make the company sellable. The Congress and administration seem to want to tank it now. The press is looking at it differently, at least recently. Here's a decent business piece:

Pearlstein: Outrage Over AIG - washingtonpost.com

 

[Zoom-boing]

My understanding over the past week is that most of those receiving these bonuses had nothing to do with the problem, in fact many didn't even work in that one awful division, those folks were gone when Lehman started going bad. For the most part these people were brought in to try and untangle what had happened, to make the company sellable. The Congress and administration seem to want to tank it now. The press is looking at it differently, at least recently. Here's a decent business piece:

Pearlstein: Outrage Over AIG - washingtonpost.com

Brought in by AIG, right? Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Annie]

My understanding over the past week is that most of those receiving these bonuses had nothing to do with the problem, in fact many didn't even work in that one awful division, those folks were gone when Lehman started going bad. For the most part these people were brought in to try and untangle what had happened, to make the company sellable. The Congress and administration seem to want to tank it now. The press is looking at it differently, at least recently. Here's a decent business piece:

Pearlstein: Outrage Over AIG - washingtonpost.com

Brought in by AIG, right? Thanks for the clarification.

That's my understanding, though I believe many were there, just not in that division or not the one's doing the questionable actions.

BTW, the guy in charge? He retired with gazillions, don't hear anyone in Congress going after him.