Comments on: A TV show for morons

By: feeblemind

feeblemind — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:57:59 +0000

Good point about Schumer, Mark D. But what is truly horrifying now is the move in Congress to ‘tax back’ the bonuses. Once they start aiming tax rates at specific companies/individuals, where will it end?

By: MarkD

MarkD — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:16:40 +0000

After days of phony rage, it turns out that Senator Dodd specifically added a provision to the bill that the bonuses be paid. At some point, incompetence becomes impossible to conceal. We’re just about there.

Watching Schumer bluster is getting old. If he read the bill he voted on, he’d know what’s in it, wouldn’t he? Apologies are in order, but nobody ever mistook Senator Schumer for a human being.

By: Maggie's Farm

Maggie's Farm — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:22:35 +0000

Thursday morning links…

Shining Path Maoists embrace Capitalism. And shame on Amherst College: I guess they are the new Maoists. How come Lefties refuse to discuss ideas? All you get from them are insults and ad hominems.
40% of US births are out of wedlock. A…

By: Doug

Doug — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:15:32 +0000

January-March is HR musical chairs in NYC. In this case during March 2008, AIG gave contractual “bonus” guarantees to 73 people who represent over 50% of the contested bonus pool. I would suspect they are probably high value trader / sales and quant types who could have easily jumped ship for multi-year 7 figure contracts at that time. In fact the “bonuses” were contractual guarantees that they would make in 2008 what they made in 2007.

This was prudent managerial judgment, preventing a brain drain before any TARP money was received. The “bonuses” represent normal compensation levels for these employees.

By: bagoh20

bagoh20 — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:32:58 +0000

This is the modern American version of the show trials of Stalin and Mao. The only difference I see is that the defendants are not yet being imprisoned or executed – not yet. America has a shortage of Americans at the moment. Too many are simply regular humans, insufficiently fond of liberty to sustain free market democracy. We will get what we deserve.

By: D

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:07:12 +0000

“But AIG is Villain of the Day and so today we watch while AIG is thrown to the lions. Who gets eaten by the lions on tomorrow’s TV show?”

That is cutting pretty close to the bone.