So yes, I too was very upset when news of the AIG bonuses came out in the news. It is utterly ridicilous that a group of already-wealthy people who SUCK at what they do and then take taxpayers' money should receive any more than the basest salaries. What the heck is the difference between a performance bonus and a "retention bonus"? And what about all of the workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own??? Why isn't someone MAKING them give it back? Ever heard of garnishing wages? That's what happens to normal poor people when they don't pay back what they should (taxes, child support, etc.).
But come on people, get real! Here we are, living in a country that might as well have a dollar sign stamped on our national flag, and we are suddenly outraged at white collar crime. H-e-l-l-o. These kinds of shenanigans happen all of the time. The danger in this sudden, media-frenzied outrage is that the majority of people will assume this is a one-time mistake, ignoring the gross inequities that make this sort of thing possible. And that once we punish AIG, we can all go back to blissfully believing in "the free market" again. Because really, even if they hadn't gotten that bailout money, do you really think they would have foregone their bonuses? Really?
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