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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The Irony of it All

President Obama seems absolutely "shocked, shocked," that AIG is acting like Big Business. He declares it "outrageous" that $165 million in bonus money was paid out to managers at the bailed out AIG.


Has he taken a look at the numbers in his budget? ("Your winnings, sir.") Now, that's something to be outraged about. $165 million barely equals one of those tiny little earmarks the president vowed he would never allow, slipped into the pork feast by one of those lobbyists he said he would never hire.


And tell me again, why do we have someone who couldn't figure out how to pay his taxes correctly for four years now running the IRS?


But, like a continuing financial crisis, I digress. Back to those bad boys, AIG. Well, contractual obligations and all that, harrumph, the bonuses had to be paid no matter what the circumstances. But excuse me, where would AIG be without the taxpayer bailout? Insolvent, right? So, would the bonuses get paid if the company was bankrupt?


Hopefully, AIG can pull its collective head out of its overstuffed feeding trough long enough to understand the angst of Jane and Joe Taxpayer. But then, again, they're Big Business, so no, not really. Just keep forking over the dollars, Little People. As for the increasingly perturbed President Obama, that formerly self-promoting answer man of the world is learning just how much he really doesn't know.


I'm shocked...shocked.