Bonus post

A lot of commentary in the news about the bonuses paid to AIG employees following the last government donation to the company.  I admit that when I first heard about it, I was indignant, as I was about the Merrill Lynch bonuses etc., but that was an indignancy about greed.  I became more indignant about stupidity when I discovered that these contractual bonuses were included in the information given to our current Secretary of the Treasury (back when he was negotiating these bonuses in he previous position during the month of September.)  The bailout money (both times) was given to AIG with the full knowledge that these bonuses (I like the term boni as plural) were under contract.

The fact that, as if it were in a Bankruptcy position, the need for a cancellation of the "boni "  (I couldn't resist) would be a condition of the bailout, and if such was a case ,  I become (as we all should) indignant about the stupidity of the government negotiators (current Sec. of Treasures) in allowing the situation to proceed without such provisions.

So, we already have a case where venality was a major element for which we should be angry, and stupidity was a major element, for which we should be MORE angry, , but what I find most terrifying, if not anger generating, it the third element which is simply EVIL.   This afternoon I heard Senator Schumer (or however he spells it) of New York attempt to blackmail the recipients of these bonuses into returning the money (which they had received as part of a legal contract, which no-one has challenged) or he (I assume he planned to use the rest of the congress for this purpose as well) would enact a law that would tax this money one hundred percent.  I don't know who else has considered that this is the ultimate unconstitutional evil.  If it were to be successful (even if the threat without the law should be successful), no person in the United States would be immune from similar treatment.  No contract would be safe, no sales contract, no employment contract, not even a marriage contract could be made with the ensurance that some Jackass congressman could not, by fiat, void or remake the contract to suit him or her (In HER case, not a Jackass but a Jenny, I know how those things work>) 

We can observe the president lying or misstating this situation (actually if you have listened to the television you have already heard it), you can hear the voiced support of the Treasury Secretary, and you can listen to Barney Frank (Franck?), as whole line of other legislators and news media talking faces demagogue and rant, but the real concern we should have is about the congress perpetrating actual evil in the attempt to pervert the power of the congress into a weapon with which to attack individuals.