Something that is missing from the anguish over AIG
Politico asks what should be the obvious question:
Here’s something neither Obama nor Grassley answered in their bellicose remarks Monday: Why did it take so long for the president and senior lawmakers to get so worked up? More troubling, why did it take so long for them to discover AIG planned to give huge bonuses in the first place?
AIG disclosed its retention-bonus program more than a year ago, including bonuses directed to those handling the exotic derivatives that got the company and the country into this mess.
The bonuses were essentially a nonissue when AIG got its initial bailout money, almost $150 billion under President Bush in the two months surrounding the presidential election. Joe Biden, then the vice presidential nominee, came out strongly against the bailout. Obama did not. . . . . .
Labels: bailout
posted by John Lott at 7:11 PM
1 Comments:
Most troubling to me is we gave them the money in the first place. Capitalism is all about trials and tribulations. If you succeed, great. If you fail? Try again.
This is like catching my daughter with her hand in mom's pocketbook. I yell at her, listen to her needs, lend her two dollars, and then act surprised when she's caught buying cigarettes. :-)
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