Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Bailouts and Bonuses

American International Group, Inc.Image via Wikipedia

AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac...must be nice to receive a huge bonus from the company you work for after the government hands over billions of dollars to keep the company from collapsing. I couldn't believe it when I heard AIG was doing it and now I hear Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are following suit.

Sure, why not?!

According to CBS News
... no one's stopping AIG from paying millions to some employees in its new retention program. The company has told 168 employees they'll receive between $92,500 and $4 million per individual if they stay with the company for one year

Wow! I thought companies paid their employees WHEN they made a profit. I really am not familiar with what exactly it is that AIG does, but I do know that a $4 million bonus in light of the NON-PROFITABLE business AIG has managed is extremely selfish.

Only a few million dollars are involved in the Fannie Mae bonuses -- the highest single award is just over $600,000 -- oh yeah, that makes it so much better doesn't it? ONLY $600,000!

At the end of March, Postmaster General John Potter asked Congress for bailout money. Know what Potter's salary is? His salary is set by Congress and it is $263,575. According to Potter the Postal Service was $2.8 billion in the red last year and is expected to be even worse this year...hmm, must be bonus time at the Post Office too, huh?
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1 comment:

Rebekah said...

Frannie and Freddie passed out bonuses before AIG- but since the government has thier hand in Freddie and Fannie, the mainstream media didnt report on it.

Now the cats out of the bag and to me, the media has egg on its face.

The media also failed to report that several of the bonus receivers of AIG worked for $1.00 as a salary with the bonus coming in at the end of the year.

These employees worked for nothing. Day in and Day out- knowing that they would get paid at the end of the year. Only to have THAT money taken away.

The government should have just kept their big fat noses out of the whole thing and it would have worked itself out.