Hopefully they will go out and SPEND those bonuses to help the economy before Barack takes the money back, which would be the height of irresponsibility.
It's all about the economy, and nothing about the Dems hatred for anything connected to Wall Street you know.

Hopefully they will go out and SPEND those bonuses to help the economy

In their income brackets, that money is going into numbered Swiss bank accounts for future use. If you want that money SPENT right now to help the economy, give it to people who will spend it.

ndotseth: It's all about the economy, and nothing about the Dems hatred for anything connected to Wall Street you know.

Meanwhile, back in reality, it's about a public demonstration of government control over the banks. Bonuses don't matter a jot, in the grand scheme of things, but it's critical to public confidence that the financial sector is seen to be being forced to exercise restraint.

ndotseth: It's all about the economy, and nothing about the Dems hatred for anything connected to Wall Street you know.

Perhaps he realizes, like most of sane people, that when you start reading about million dollar bonuses paid to execs that just got a bailout it's going to make it much harder to do anything for them in the future politically.

Or perhaps they just don't deserve a bonus? They did a crappy job of looking out for the bank's (and my) interests.

It's the one-hit wonder Farker!

FTA: ""I'm going to be urging - in fact, not urging, demanding - that the Treasury Department figures out some way to get the money back," Dodd said. "This is unacceptable.""

This is the first sensible thing I've heard a Congressman say in a long time. Now if he can just figure out a way to get all the bailout money back from all the bailout programs and end future bailouts.

"I'm going to be urging - in fact, not urging, demanding - that the Treasury Department figures out some way to get the money back," Dodd said. "This is unacceptable."

Dodd and I are on the same page with respect to responsible use of money. I find my tax burden and government waste unacceptable, and I want my money back.

EatHam: Dodd and I are on the same page with respect to responsible use of money. I find my tax burden and government waste unacceptable, and I want my money back.

Oh hells yeah.

/I'm not getting a "bonus" this year.
//Or a raise.
///Lucky to have a job.
////Should probably GBTW

EatHam: Dodd and I are on the same page with respect to responsible use of money. I find my tax burden and government waste unacceptable, and I want my money back.

Wasn't Dodd one biggest proponents of a TARP with little to no oversight?

sepuku2: Wasn't Dodd one of the biggest proponents of a TARP with little to no oversight?

Well, "one of" is a fairly large group... congress couldn't wait to unload the contents of the treasury.

I'm wondering if President Obama isn't just setting the scene for Hijacking the bailout.

"Look, this was designed to help the economy and you bankers and CEOs have proven yourself unqualified to help. Therefore, I'm taking this $800 billion and putting it where it'll actually do some good and be used by people who have a sense of morality and integrity."

I'm all for free market and all that. But when the money your spending on bonuses and airplanes and such is bailout money, meant to get better financial footing for your bank, you lose that right.

Spend your own money how you want, spend the people's money how the people say. As president, Obama's the spokesman for the people.

Forgive $10,000 credit card debt for everyone. That will get them spending. Of course it won't fix the problem of people getting into too much debt in the first place, but it will still make me happy.

You tell them Barrack.


/my man

I disagree, they never deserve bonuses.

People claim taking away the bonuses will not attract these sorts of people to those positions...they say that like it is a bad thing.

Gated Community Organizer: You tell them Barrack.


/my man

Wait...what? REALLY?

morlinge: Forgive $10,000 credit card debt for everyone. That will get them spending. Of course it won't fix the problem of people getting into too much debt in the first place, but it will still make me happy.

Wait! I need to go and accrue $10,000 worth of credit card debt first.

Well, at MY bank, employees that make $27,000 a year can get bonuses. Hopefully those aren't the bonuses he's mad about.

Gamer Grrrl: Hopefully those aren't the bonuses he's mad about.

Yeah, I'm sure those are EXACTLY the bonuses he's mad about.

Wake me when he has the DoJ start sending some of these criminals to jail.

Cincinnati Kid: Wait! I need to go and accrue $10,000 worth of credit card debt first.

Well, maybe they'll let us apply the leftover to mortgage payments.

Darconix: Well, I'm going to have to give the Obamanation credit for this. I don't really like his policies, but demanding restraint from Wall Street is the right move. Of course I don't think he really means it, and will continue throwing money at Wall Street like a Navy ensign at a strip club, but he gets my approval on this. Just this once.

Have you been drinking this morning?

I guess the Obama's won't be spending any money on redecorating the White House then. Now's not the time.

FarkinNortherner: ndotseth: It's all about the economy, and nothing about the Dems hatred for anything connected to Wall Street you know.

Meanwhile, back in reality, it's about a public demonstration of government control over the banks. Bonuses don't matter a jot, in the grand scheme of things, but it's critical to public confidence that the financial sector is seen to be being forced to exercise restraint.

Um, if they get 20 billion of MY MONEY and 15 of it goes to bonuses, that's a HUGE farkING DEAL. That 15 billion could go to reliquidate the bank and allow for lending.

Any bailout money should go into the banking sector, not a cent of it goes to CEO's. If they drove the company into the ground, why would they deserve them anyway?

Gamer Grrrl: Well, at MY bank, employees that make $27,000 a year can get bonuses. Hopefully those aren't the bonuses he's mad about.

If they fark up and cost the branch millions, I doubt they would get a bonus.

NyQuiLlama: I guess the Obama's won't be spending any money on redecorating the White House then. Now's not the time.

This.

/Unless he wants to spend his own money.

Darconix: Well, I'm going to have to give the Obamanation credit for this. I don't really like his policies, but demanding restraint from Wall Street is the right move. Of course I don't think he really means it, and will continue throwing money at Wall Street like a Navy ensign at a strip club, but he gets my approval on this. Just this once.

Who are you and what have you done to Draconix

ndotseth: It's all about the economy, and nothing about the Dems hatred for anything connected to Wall Street you know.

Ah, Republicans... is there nothing they can't be wrong about?

You have thousands of people being laid off each week, and they see these jackholes are getting huge bonuses for companies that were purportedly in such bad shape that they needed a massive bailout. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but aren't bonuses rewards for doing a GOOD job?

The way these execs are acting, I would in no way be surprised if we started seeing them wind up in body-bags.

Problem is the high-bonus types don't *spend* it. They ramp it into whatever stupid speculative bubble is next. Credit derivatives. MBSs. Oil futures. Tulip bulbs. Madoff. Enron. Tech venture bullshiat.

Being seriously disconnected from the real world, they are actually horrible at appropriating resources, and fall for the stupidest shiat. Yet, they control trillions of other peoples' money.

LouDobbsAwaaaay: NyQuiLlama: I guess the Obama's won't be spending any money on redecorating the White House then. Now's not the time.

This.

/Unless he wants to spend his own money.

Or the fund that is designed specifically for that purpose...from the White House Historical Association and various endowments.

NyQuiLlama: I guess the Obama's won't be spending any money on redecorating the White House then. Now's not the time.

If the redecorating budget was even in the same order of magnitude as the Wall Street bonuses, you might have a point.

Yay for fascism!!! USA! USA! USA! Hey Barack, mind your own farking business.

Klivian: The way these execs are acting, I would in no way be surprised if we started seeing them wind up in body-bags.

Only because they didn't do the honorable thing and start jumping out of windows when things started circling the drain.

netweavr: I'm wondering if President Obama isn't just setting the scene for Hijacking the bailout.

"Look, this was designed to help the economy and you bankers and CEOs have proven yourself unqualified to help. Therefore, I'm taking this $800 billion and putting it where it'll actually do some good and be used by people who have a sense of morality and integrity."

You mean community banks and relax the partner bank rules from them that force them to get a JPMorgan or BofA to handle portions of their loans?

mmm... pancake: Yay for fascism!!! USA! USA! USA! Hey Barack, mind your own farking business.

Now you call fascism.

1. You're a few years late
2. you should read up on economic systems.

bingethinker: Hopefully they will go out and SPEND those bonuses to help the economy

In their income brackets, that money is going into numbered Swiss bank accounts for future use. If you want that money SPENT right now to help the economy, give it to people who will spend it.

People who have a lot of money right now (and this goes for companies and banks as well) are not spending it and for good reason -

When everyone else keels over and dies from debt, they can go sift through the wreckage and buy whatever they damn well please at fire sale prices.

This is why the GOP's plan to throw bazillions of dollars at Wall Street was stupid from the get go. Instead of increasing liquidity, all they did was pay off debt and hold on to cash so that when the other guys that don't get the TARP funding are dead, they can go and buy up all their assets at dirt cheap prices.

It really makes me want to kick Hank Paulson in the balls.

Repeatedly.

NyQuiLlama: I guess the Obama's won't be spending any money on redecorating the White House then. Now's not the time.

Actually, if you'd paid attention, you'd note that they really didn't. Bush had this new Texas-themed rug commissioned for the Oval Office before he moved in. Obama said, "meh, it looks fine to me". The rug remains, along with the portraits, etc, Bush left up.

tweekster: LouDobbsAwaaaay: NyQuiLlama: I guess the Obama's won't be spending any money on redecorating the White House then. Now's not the time.

This.

/Unless he wants to spend his own money.

Or the fund that is designed specifically for that purpose...from the White House Historical Association and various endowments.

Yeah lets let the most important office in America run into a state of shabbyness so we can all feel better.

The problem with spending that money on your mortgage is that you probably aren't stupid enough to want imediately go out and get more debt. If you cleaned out the credit card, you would probably go out and spend. Though a simple $10,000 check to everyone might be a fair deal.

IXI Jim IXI: Gamer Grrrl: Hopefully those aren't the bonuses he's mad about.

Yeah, I'm sure those are EXACTLY the bonuses he's mad about.

Hey now, I think this is great, but the article was lacking in details. If it's executive bonuses, you know, bonuses for people who could have made a difference, then yeah, go get 'em Obama! But if it's for regular joes making ends meet, I might have a problem with that. And no, I don't get a bonus, unfortunately.

Just a quick aside, everyone at my bank making more than $60,000 a year did NOT get a raise this year. I think they're still supposed to get bonuses if they would normally get a bonus, but no raise. I, on the other hand, got a raise but no bonus. I'd rather have a bonus, since it's typically at least 10 times the size of my raise.

mmm... pancake: Yay for fascism!!! USA! USA! USA! Hey Barack, mind your own farking business.

Just when I bought a new stupid meter...

1 million dollars!!

How about no?

mmm... pancake: Yay for fascism!!! USA! USA! USA! Hey Barack, mind your own farking business.

one imagines that when the government gives almost a trillion dollars away, they might have an interest in making sure it is spent responsibly. That's just good business sense.

Karma Curmudgeon: mmm... pancake: Yay for fascism!!! USA! USA! USA! Hey Barack, mind your own farking business.

Now you call fascism.

1. You're a few years late
2. you should read up on economic systems.
3. You should also realize it is Barack's business when it comes to tax payers money being abused.

TwistedFark:
It really makes me want to kick Hank Paulson in the balls.

Repeatedly.

Steel toe boots.

Gamer Grrrl: Hey now, I think this is great, but the article was lacking in details. If it's executive bonuses, you know, bonuses for people who could have made a difference, then yeah, go get 'em Obama! But if it's for regular joes making ends meet, I might have a problem with that. And no, I don't get a bonus, unfortunately.

Ok, fair enough. While he didn't specifically say it, it looks like he's targeting what he talked about as Wall Street greed. With his previous statements, plus coming off the heels of that jet thing, I'd have to say he's talking about the people who get the obscene bonuses, not the average joe.

Karma Curmudgeon: Now you call fascism.

1. You're a few years late

You're under the mistaken impression that I supported Bush.

2. you should read up on economic systems.

A politician preaching from the Oval Office about HIS moral expectations of private industry is a very fitting definition of fascism.

Politicians have no business preaching morality and telling us what the people should and should not do. Surely you agree with this principle.

excuse me. What I mean to say was:

go barack!