5 Responses to “Commentary of the Day”

1. Leonardo says:

   March 19, 2009 at 4:57 pm

   Botox-ates.
2. mds123 says:

   March 19, 2009 at 5:00 pm

   ‘political class’ – the new oxymoron
3. Dave says:

   March 19, 2009 at 5:00 pm

   Now that the House passed its bill of attainder, can someone please convince enough Senate Republicans to stop this monstrosity from passing the Senate?

   Congress screwed up. The Administration screwed up. They took control of AIG and then didn’t bother putting in regulations that would have prevented this P.R. disaster. Or worse, *explicitly* put in the bonus clause– and are now trying to pass the blame.

   What’s next? Ex-post facto taxes on oil profits? Defense companies? Rush Limbaugh?

   I’m not going to defend AIG. But what Congress is doing– and what the President may sign– is un-American, in every sense of the phrase. It’s just plain *wrong*, and if it stands it will create a precedent that will never be walked back.

   Why oh why didn’t we just let these banks fail when we had the chance? That would have only cost us money– this, this angry law will cost America far more than that.
4. Bob Miller says:

   March 19, 2009 at 5:05 pm

   Let’s dock the pay of government officials based on the dollar value their words and actions subtract from our economy.
5. David S. Mazel says:

   March 19, 2009 at 5:06 pm

   If one believes that AIG, as a company, deserved taxpayer money, then does it not follow that the people who run AIG deserve a measure of compensation commensurate with their talents? In business the leaders have to pay their people to keep those people.

   This passion to deny that there were bonuses, and now that the bonuses have been paid, to specifically tax them and thereby punish the recipients, boggles my mind. The reality is that if the government want AIG to succeed, AIG must have the right employees. To get and maintain these people requires the right work environment. For AIG, part of that environment is that compensation takes the form of bonuses. AIG is not alone in this, other companies use bonuses that same exact way.

   To see this another way, imagine that AIG simply denied all bonuses. What would their star employees do? Would the stars not just leave? What would happen to AIG then?
6. CPM says:

   March 19, 2009 at 5:10 pm

   So typical of the political class (pre-people); when you find yourself in the midst of a crisis you have no solutions for, look for a group of people who have no recourse when you hit them with a big stick – AIG bonus recipients. Such courage!

   If you were not crying for other reasons, it would bring tears to your eyes.
7. WestWright says:

   March 19, 2009 at 5:56 pm

   Will this AIG dustup be the rubicon for the TOTUS? The Politicos lame attempt to deflect blame is failing and the outlook for AIG is not so bright!
8. myna says:

   March 19, 2009 at 6:34 pm

   If the democrats continue to create this mob mentality, it will definitely explode in their faces.

   “You reap what you sow.”
9. Chris Bolts Sr. says:

   March 19, 2009 at 6:46 pm

   I wasn’t upset about this entire AIG mess. What I am upset about, and have been since Bush started proposing these bailouts, was the effect the bailouts would have in shifting more power to the government at the expense of the freedoms and liberty of the American people. The logical anger should ALWAYS be laid at the feet of government, but people are afraid to do it. Even now, after it has been brought to the fore that the government is at the forefront of the AIG mess the media cannot exactly bring itself to start criticizing the government because it is run by Democrats. Sadly, so long as the media puts the Democratic Party above the interest of the country we will not have real reform.
10. Chris Bolts Sr. says:

    March 19, 2009 at 6:51 pm

    “It’s worth adding that for some Members of Congress, it appears as if terrorists deserve greater Constitutional rights than AIG employees.”

    And this is absolutely true and it is unfortunate. During that entire Blago ordeal, the man was being raked over the coals and he was not able to call witnesses and address his accusers. However, the ACLU and many Leftist lawyers are bending over backwards to protect terrorists and radically interpret the Constitution to bestow rights on people around the globe.
11. myna says:

    March 19, 2009 at 8:39 pm

    For Obama comparing AIG executives as suicide bombers is incomprehensible. Obama is playing dirty politics here. He and his democrats lynch mob knew all of this mess from the beginning.

    My God. This guy is not only an idiot but dangerous. What a mess!
12. Alexander Almasov says:

    March 19, 2009 at 8:40 pm

    “We the People”: Article 1, Section 9, Clause 3. The House of Representatives has shown what it is made of.
13. DarknessAtNoon says:

    March 19, 2009 at 10:30 pm

    The viciousness and extremism of Number One and the D’s when they fear they will be blamed for something is astounding to see.
14. Susan says:

    March 19, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    335,000 people have signed a petition demanding Obama release documentation to verify that he is eligible to be POTUS. I believe that he is not. Make your own decisions but if you agree that he has “alot of ‘splaying to do”, sign the petion at WorldNetDaily(wnd.com), spread the word. Barry Sotero/Barrack Hussein, whatever, he needs TO GO. Then, we should not REELECT ANYONE to the Senate; each state, upon new terms, vote ANYBODY who isnt sitting in D.C.
15. Sully says:

    March 20, 2009 at 1:20 am

    I haven’t heard of any move on the part of the politicians to disgorge the campaign “ontributions” they got from companies that have proven to need bailout money.

    I’m hoping there will be one AIG employee who will stand up and say he’ll consider giving back his bonus when Barney Frank pays back all the loot he’s ever gotten from AIG with interest.

    I’ll contribute to a fund to enable that employee to take his case all the way to the supreme court.
16. Wassercom says:

    March 20, 2009 at 8:13 am

    The entire basis for civilized society is contract law. Well, it now appears contract law is being thrown out the window. Tear up your mortgages. Tear up your employment contracts (you know, the ones that specify “bonuses” based on job performance. Tear it all up, because we are now living under mob rule.