The FACT that AIG, a Wall Street firm who was bailed-out gave bonuses to their employees is simply........ CRIMINAL!

Well I hope Blagojevich disappears from the news cycle now. I'm over hearing about him! On the Wall Street thing I think the companies who got bailouts and then spent them on bonuses should have to pay the amount of the bonuses back immediately. If that is what they used the money for then they didn't need a bailout. I'd like to see bailouts require an itemized list on where every dollar of the bailout goes – along with explanations if necessary. Let the auditors from the IRS audit them every so often to be sure that the bailout money is being used for what it was intended to be used for. And if the institution just parks the money and doesn't use it or do what they are suppose to do (like the banks not lending) then take the bailout back. Whey give them money if it isn't going to change what they are doing. And since the first bailout was suppose to help with foreclosures I'd like to hear if they have and if not why not. I don't mind helping people keep their homes but I do mind helping big business get bigger.

You know it's time that these poeple are actually made to PAY for their criminal acts. How'bout if we strip them of all their assets and DEPORT them to their new 'developing economies' in COMMUNIST CHINA and SOCIALIST INDIA. WE could use their assests of course to pay down the trade imbalances they created along with offering some relief to American workers that have been displaced which they've also been responsible for.

It would then be very 'interesting' to see how they fair in those somewhat less than American 'Democratic' and 'Capitalist' Societies on less than ONE DOLLAR per hour 'Coolie Slave Labor' wages sharing one room aprartments with two other families or more.

4.8 million on unemployment rolls. Nearly 20 billion to a few bankers as Christmas bonuses. Let's see, that's around 4100 per person on unemployment. At least that would be a few more months of benefits.

But more to the point, where is the outrage? Where are the calls to trade in the corporate jets? Where are the demands for the CEOs to put their derrieres in senate banking committee chairs to be stared down upon with frowning disapproval? Where are the ambush demands for complete corporate balance sheets? Where are Shelby, Corker and Demint to tell us all with such authority that the bankers have failed business models? Where are the calls for a review of the banker's business plans "going forward" for viability? Where are the scolding comparisons to foreign banks that aren't failing and aren't begging for bailouts? Where are the calls for failed banks to, gee wiz, go "BANKrupt?" Where are the polls of all americans showing dissapproving of the banking industry and distaste for bailout? Where are the calls for a post-banking economy? Where is Morici to tell us that the banks are outdated and should die a natural death? Where are all the claims that they make a product we really no longer want to "mortage" our futures upon? Where is the outrage folks?

How close is the nearest Swiss Bank ATM?

G'nite and thanks from Detroit.

Why is it criminal today when it has been this way for the past 30 plus years? These executives have been getting our monies all along. It is what we are told to dream about. Capitalism. Tax payers have always been the owners of these companies. We are the ones who have spent them into success. It is not acceptable; but we have not taught them any better.

Khari

You all know that if you or i did what wall street execs did, we would go to jail.

We gave them a hand and look what they did, they threw it back in our faces.

$18 Million Dollars in bonuses. We need to go after them with everything we got. Add to that, the Republicans voting against this bill. It's just SHAMEFUL!!!!!!!!!!!

We have an infrastructure failing big time, people who have been hit hard by all these lay offs now are facing anywhere from two to three weeks without power because of this storm.

The Republicans refusing to acknowledge the fact that we are in deep trouble and that ff we do not do anything to correct it, we will be paying big time.

You could tell President Obama is seriously peeved off. He is livid. You could tell he wanted to cuss them out but couldnt.

Shame on them. They should all go to jail and Obama should hire new ppl to take over the banks until the economy gets better. He should do it in the name of economic security of the nation. these bankers are selfish.

once the economy gets better he can give it back to the ceos and board members of the banks. theses idiots are a pathetic bunch

Oh yea,gotta pay the big-rainmakers big-time to retain their expertise,otherwise we will fail,or our compeditors will sign them up!Makes cents to me,after all, they've run the country,never mind our/their companies into the (bankruptcy) ground,but try to find good talent today?We can't afford taking a chance on someone from the outside,you know,...?

I don't think CEO bonuses should exceed thier salaries in the first place. Most people that get bonuses are just a percentage of thier monthly salaries and these days that"s not much

How dare those Executives on Wall Street give themselves bonuses. May they all burn in hell.

This is Capitalism at its worst. We the people give billions of dollars so wall street CEOs and upper management can enjoy our money!!

Well who can we blame? Congress! They were the ones who handed out this money with NO stipulations on it and now these banks and financial institutions refuse to even say where ALL the money went!

here's an idea.......how about tracking down the bonuses and taking the money back?? If it was a mistake.....why not?

Oshan

Is anyone being held accountable? This is the big question?

If I were in charge and this happened I would demand the money back and within a short period because obviously they lied to get the bailout money!

when do people that are really struggling going to get a bailout I think the crackdown that should happen is we don't bailout anybody and let the economy crack itself down and get rid of all these greedy corporations and let real change begin. How much is money going to worth if they keep printing it we'll see in 1,3,5,10 years "$3,000 dollars for a candy bar"

I think that's as mad as we'll ever see Obama. The peoples outrage should be expressed to both Paulson and Bush; they're the ones responsible for the lack of accountability.

Paulson just wanted to make sure his buds on Wall Street had a nice payday. Too bad it cost the American tax payer 350 billion.

$18,000,000,000.00 down the toilet and they probably sent it offshore to avoid taxes.

I have had a social contract with my father that I have never violated. I am in the 90% who havent defaulted on their mortguage, but unfortunately due to illness and the economy I have needed help to stay in that group. The contract is, if I ask for help, gas utilites food and the mortguage are all that i spend money on.

The ceo culture is is more disgusing than the story everyone has a version of: in the grocery store, person uses access/food stamp card, outside of the store waits the cadillac. Honstly thats is a very small percentage of welfare recipients, exacerbated by that fact that at least in pa you cant own ANYTHING if you are on assistance. These executive creeps didnt get it, dont get it, and obviously wont get it.. I dont want the bank of the united states, but i dont want citicorp more, call the loans seize the assets and start lending money from the fed to the people directly. Sell the bank of the united states off when things get better at a great profit, to pay the bill for the economic recovery we are about to charge to the national debt.

First of all, I am a huge Obama supporter and thiink he's doing an incredible job. But why is he just now acknowledging this executive bonus issue. I thought it was generally known that these people have been accepting these enormous bonuses for years, without any concern with what was happening to their customers and clients and the financial condition of their institutions. Go figure......

Greed has always hurt people in our democratic and capitalist system. But, what makes this time different is the fact that very few people are ashamed of what they do.

Its just a shame that those people would ask for a bailout while also receiving bonuses. Shows u their arrongance and greed...now costing taxpayers more money. Pure Shame!!!

What else is new? The bonuses are obscene but have always been so ....as long as there are such horrid discrepancies between standards of living, pots-of-gold bonuses just sound so pre-French revolution to me!

These firms are very mislead. Millions spent to keep their expertise within their power; perhaps even justified in the notions that they were trying to be more able to help their customers.

It's despicable that we indirectly support this, at the very least in financial terms. Being the taxpayers and thus the source of the big bucks spent, shouldn't we have more say in how this is dealt with?

This is not "shameful", it is plain old sick and disgusting. To think that these people come running to the American people begging to money after killing our economy. They must have some serious brass down there on wall street.

Do not give these greedy fat cats another dime of my money – if you want to stimulate the economy – give the money back to the people – we will spend, the economy will grown – and best of all, these wall street yahoos will lose their bonuses, and hopefully their jobs.

we keep putting the blanket over wall street....why don't we name the people (greedy) who are pocketing our u.s. tax dollars????

CREATING JOBS MUST BE #1

I am not sure why we are concerned that our government is asking for more transparency regarding the financial financial operations of certain corporations. In my opinion, if a company is asking for money from the government then the government should and is expected to become aware of how they are spending it. Private companies that go public give up much of the same to shareholders.

Am I in an alternate universe or are bonuses given for better than average performance in a normal business? These people lose almost 40% of the money they are supposed to work with, almost bankrupt the whole economy and country and still get bonuses. I thought this only happened in West African countries. At least those people have to fear a coup-de-etat. These are some brazen crooks. I think I will look for a job there next. Good gig if you can get it.

The pork is a disgrace to our country. I guess we just have to blame Bush for this one too.

All I can say is thank-you President Obama for the obvious anger regarding these bonuses. I am outraged and was outraged when I read the article in the paper. I say we take back whatever TARP money can be connected to those bonuses and given to those banks that are willing to provide a plan that assures needed credit and/or businesses that will provide jobs.

When I read it all I could think is that we should being back the public pillory – how angry I was. And, it really goes to complete arrogance and distain for for the the public, taxpayers, and each of us. I'm disgusted.

I agree with President Obama's comments about Wall Street bonuses being "shameful" and that corporate executives need to lead by example. We're wondering how the president, his administration, and government will "lead by example"? The extravagant inauguration ($140m) wasn't a good start! Will he cancel the outstanding order for the new "Airforce One's"?

wall street should be shamme!

The Government has every right to demand that the money that they are giving these banks cannot go for bonuses. How dare they ask for the taxpayers to rescue them and then go on to refuse to extend credit to businesses and individuals while they hand out billions to the very people that toppled our economy!

The CEOs of Wall Street don't need PR people to tell them that giving themselves $18 billion bonuses for 2008 is irresponsible. There must be more to the story. Dig deeper, Anderson.

I just looked at a list of millions of dollarsgeared for a variety of way to make jobs.

the ones i know about like the National endowment for the arts will greate needed jobs in a culture that is among the lowly paid of highly educated people arts professionals. and artists also have to feed their families, artists should be given grants, as they did before Lynn cheney cut funds.

amtrak need money desperately. we should a system of regional quiet, fast trains as in france and italy. this will cut auto travel which pollutes and air travel which also pollutes and is time consuming and difficult. schools offer jobs to teachers. we need more teachers, not less.

we need infrastructure desperate, bridges, , transportation, eco systems by science, and hospitals that give work to many and service to neighborhoods.d Many are failing.. In new york do we need a colorful ugly bank on every corner It visually pollutes the neighborhood.is not manned by people just machines.

science needs money, so does saving the environment. there are real qualified people working in most of the fields enumerated. here

Banks awarding their high level people as they fail who caused the problems donot need money they need to be re-educated in more productive fields. . Let the bad ones fail and give the money to make real jobs that helppeople, the environment and infrastructure.

It appears that we are at the end… of Capitalism. This is Capitalism at its worst! If we continue to idolize Capitalism, then we need to expect more of this to continue. The Executives and CEOs continue to get “fatter” with our monies and the middle class person dissolves into the huge poor creating a 2 class system and we end up a 3rd world country.

The only way out of this mess is: Everyone MUST work! Everyone must earn income in some way! Everyone must have a job and be productive! It is as simple as that! As much as I hate to say it, the government needs more intervention on private business.

I can only hope that their is an investigation into Wall Street and action is taken against those who commited crimes and are profiting while tax payors bail them out.

It amazes me that we were able to spend how much time and money investigating our President Bill Clinton over the years for deals that proved to be nothing and these guys destroy the financial markets and no investigation has even began.

Where is the equity? I just do not get it.

Koodoos to the President for expressing a strong opinion on poor management and greed in the midst of a this economical crisis,

The outrage that the executives are getting big bonuses is well placed, but if "We the people" are paying our money to bail them out, then in the spirit of working together, as our new President said, they need to stop the late charges, and high interest rates on credit cards now, and look at ways for people stay in their homes while "We the people" are having a hard time because of the mess they created.

Anderson - Ask yourself the following questions

1) if you take that $20 billion out of wall street pockets, what do you think is going to happen to the NYC economy? Btw, do you know how much of that $20 billion is in cash versus deferred stock?

2) Why is it morally acceptable for the wealthy (who pay most of the taxes in this country) to be tagged with nearly $1.7 trillion in spending (TARP and Obama's stimulus plan) to stimulate the whole economy but then reprehensible for them to give themselves $20 bn?

Good reporting, but I think you should get beyond the populist rhetoric and dig a bit deeper.

'Shameful'? 'A plan'? Wall St. gets bailout money from the federal government, and turn around and payout $18 billion in bonuses! Like Madoff, they have ripped the American people in huge ways! Why are we pussy-footing around with these people?! If we did not pay their taxes, the IRS would be all over us! Obama needs a plan? How about he just pick up the phone and call the FBI to make some arrests–for starters? Where is the justice in this country?

Aren't bonuses an inspiring event?

Let's not buy any more preferred stock in big multinational banks. They like the money too much to loan it back to us for a profit. Scaredy cats.

Let's instead open a new public bank. Think about it. A few hundred billion to loan and no bad debt. Now that's a good bank.

Then everyone gets what they think they want. The market can 'correct' the missteps of the stupid, pleasing both the conservatives and, now that the bonuses have been passed out, the liberals.

Everyone who should lose gets to lose, and yet the financial system will still work. Just under different leadership.

1. I agree that huge bonuses for executives while millions are losing their jobs is unethical ... I don't believe that it is criminal.
2. But then I believe in absolute truths and the Word of God and justice should not show partiality to either rich or poor.
3. But for the people who state that they want diversity and tolerance for all people and philosophies ... how do they then support their own anger at these people who are unethical according to my view? why are the policies wrong when it is just simply another diverse way of deciding to divide up the available monies?
4. Why is diversity ok when the people are doing something we agree with or at least don't oppose but diversity of thought is wrong when we don't agree with the other person's philosphy?
5. We are entering a very slippery slope .... will we pursue true justice and tolerance of God defined good? or will we simply use our rules and demand that others tolerate our whims that are based on no firm foundation?

If these CEO's had a patriotic bone in their body they would reconsider and donate their bonuses to the VA. Everyone gives lip service to the troops, you know the people out there dying, while some are making money hand over fist at home. How about some real support for them. But not these CEO's; these nobodies that think they're somebodies. Heck, they couldn't even perform and make their companies successful, let along earn a bonus. What a group of overpaid, greedy, useless and shameful bunch they are. They deserve to be treated with disdain.

This simply a piece of divisive propaganda that Obama is using to stoke the fires of class warfare. He is using this recession to attempt to socialize our economy and the media is going along in lockstep.
The problem in the economy is not the bonuses paid to Wall Street executives. The bailout money that most of these companies recieved is an investment in the form of preferred stock it is not simply a hand out. The governement should have the same rights of any holder of preferred stock. That does not include any management control over the companies.

Mr President, nationalize the banks. Do it under the name of national security. These greedy, greedy Wall Streeters, bankers, and everyone else lining up for a piece of the bailout pie, are only out for THEMSELVES, and could care less about our country. If this keeps up, we will denigrate to a barter economy in no time. Give me two apples, and i'll give you a loaf of bread.

PS- aren't we all glad that all that foolish talk about investing the social security fund in the stock market has now gone by the wayside?

obama earned my respect today..he is treating the bankers like they would treat us if we asked for money..we need to apply the same rules they apply to us when loaning money..dont see how theyre any different...we should the "taxpayers" be the mother of all banks and start making money off these banks

This is hardly criminal. Ignorant? Inconsiderate? Probably both. It's more criminal and unfortunate that the government gave these faltering banks large amounts of money without attaching constraints on bonus payouts to executives and the like. Think back a little bit, and this was a key issue when the TARP was originally introduced. What do you expect these investment bank executives to do? By the way, did the Senate vote themselves an annual pay raise?

New legislation needs to be passed, demanding a refund of any money spent in 2008 for bonuses from companies that received bail out money. Demand a full refund of the bail out money if they don't comply. The greedy white-collar practices on wallstreet has got to end. As long as they can find a way to get away with fleecing America they will do nothing less.

outraged in CA...the only way capitalism will work is if we treat our treasury as a business and start earning interest on our money..a bankers bank that demands the same rules as they do on us

These people have made a fortune ripping off the taxpayers and the poor. This isnt the first time that they have wasted the money that the taxpayers gave them to save thier jobs. How many times are we going to tolerate the ceo of this company taking us for money ? This person needs to be removed. We are going broke people!!
Do we need to end up like russia for people to GET IT ??????

I am proud of Obama for calling out these incredibly selfish individuals on Wall Street, but it is imperative that he follow up with swift and severe penalties for their actions. Their behavior is disgusting.

I have always maintained that the best financial bailout would be to give every taxpayer a million dollars. You can bet that everyone would use it to stimulate the economy in so many ways. People could buy back their homes, send their children to college, and pay bills. They could buy health care; the list could go on and on.

Why don't we just call this what it really is . . terrorism . . economic terrorism. Let's get Homeland Security involved and charge these CEOs with terrorism. They have done what international terrorists haven't been able to do . . shut down our economy and thereby shut down the global economy. Seriously, send them to GITMO.

What I want to know is who are these CEO's? I want to know names and put them directly in the spot light! Im tired of hearing about "folks in wallstreet". i want to know who exactly these CEO's and exactly what companys they are from. I am so proud of my President for speaking out on this very serious issue.

If banks are going to hold out their tin cans, they absolutely should not be awarding any bonuses. If they are not receiving aid from our taxes, then they can do as they please, but this is disgusting.

Washington is back to the same old same old...and I'm disappointed.
Obama doesn't seem to be interested in considering other views...hmmm....who does this remind me of? Scary.
Carol Hitchie
Chicago

The "Bailout Funds" of moving taxpayers funds to "some" of the
sleeziest "bankers" should not only be stopped, but also with the
General Accounting Office requiring those bankers who have not used the "Bailout Funds" for the purpose intended, to return the funds to the U S Treasury. It makes the "investigations" of the appointed
Secretary of Treasury, and his and others, of interpretations of the IRS
"Chines Water Puzzles" seem like a game of "Tiddly Winks" compared
to the "Russian Roulette Game" of some bankers currently! It is also somewhat like the extraction of funds from the peasants, that took place in Europe for Centuries, with the Aristocrats always being in favor! Our U S Constitution is not based on Old Aristocracies "Laws"!
The latest edition of President Obama's "Bailout Funds" seems to
progress somewhat like trying to build a fire out camping, on a stormy and rainy night, and all during the building of a fire for warmth, with
some thinking it a joke, by "adding" additional moisture to the already dismal fire building!
Hopefully, tracking the use of Bailout Funds will be far more trans-
parent than the billions of dollars not accounted for in Iraq from 2003
to 2008! As it was explained and "justified", "Well, these things happen
in a Wars Engagements!

At the very least, the execs who were given these bonuses should be required to return this money immediately; this is not "executive pay", but money belonging to taxpayers! I appreciate Obama's strong censure of this very privileged, reprehensible behavior on the part of these executives.

When the CEO's of Wall Street accept bail-out money and us it for person gain, it's not "shameful", it's criminal. This money was not given to them for their own person gain, but to assist in bailing our struggling companies. Many people and groups might disagree with me, but I think the federal government should go after the CEO's and anyone else who received any of that money. If the CEO's cannot act in a responsible manner and use the money for what it was intended for, then the government must step in. I think the CEO's should take a page form the CEO of Japan Airline's and what he did. He too a cut in pay, opened his office and gets out and meets with his employees. The CEO's in the USA never get out of thier ivory towers and go out and meet the people who actually preform the work.

If the CEO's can't use the money for what it was intended for then the money should be returned. But as one person commented the money is probably in offshore accounts where it cann't be touched or taxes.

I can't believe these CEO'S think that in a time of struggle for our country they shouldn't scale back we as americans I to cut back when times get hard what makes them think they are the exceptiin to the rules of living

Anderson, your question–will the stimulus work and create jobs and recovery? It will work to create jobs only in industries where it exceeds capacity of that industry. Construction–the money in the plan only fills current needs, delayed road and bridge maintenance, converting buildings to become energy efficient. The other industries–research and others perhaps by putting money into research programs–but it will probably pull researchers away from current programs. Flooding the economy wth federal money will just keep certain people working, not create new jobs as people needing to move into those industries won't have the skills, training or interest to make the change.

These CEOS don't care about our economic hardship. They want the money all for themselves. Obama will do something about this and they should and hopefully will all be fired.

Hooray for President Obama for taking Wall Street to task in regard to the outrageous bonuses. !!! They ask for a bailout from the taxpayers
& then raise interst rates on credit cards to "Loan Shark" levels.
Perhaps there should be Conditions of Participation in the "Bailout".
#1 The taxpayers are bailing us out , so we will not raise interest rates to levels that do not allow the consumer to pay off their debt.
The American public did not receive raises this year and yet the Wall Street Elite gets millions.... There is something drastically wrong here & it is being paid for on the backs of the "Little People."

when you think about it, bailouts are not that different from welfare and we sure do have rules for welfare recipients. When private citizens opt to accept welfare, they told a lot of what they can and can not do so whether a corporation or a citizen, you give up privacy when you take government money. So will Wall Street Reform be like welfare reform?

These bonuses are just one more example, after eight years of a tax-cutting policy, that MONEY DOES NOT TRICKLE DOWN.
Right now, no-one is spending: The policy of every corporation in the USA, large and small, is, by necessity, conserving their cash. Tax breaks to companies will not help the economy. Other than perhaps expenditure on office decoration. The companies who are going out of business don't have any profits to pay tax on....

Its amazing how republicans can be worried more how this is handled with a wait and see attitude rather throwing out solutions out. They are waiting to play the blame game.

They are most certainly not helping the situation & it'll not help them in 2012.

Just like they would rather give task break to the rich few than help create jobs for the middle class.

How very typical.

take their passports, put a ankle bracelet on them, let them wait in a holding cell until they white house adds them onto a schedule to workout this mess. put an amber alert out to the other countries so that they have no place to fly. more importantly, freeze their assets. send them into each city to do community service and have the courthouses stop any banking businsess they have pending that will allow them to make additional money. they hire collection agencies etc. folks don't have money as is. they told us all byway of gesturing to kiss their butts. they are a unstoppable breed. the US threasury should make american currency obsolete if CEO's have to spend. Have them use wood chips if they want to spend.

I don't understand why we shareholders aren't expressing our own opinion about these bonuses, instead of relying on Washington to do so. I fear that we may have forgotten our power in this process. Let us vote with our proxies and tell the companies in which we hold shares what we will and won't stand for. and with enough votes and outcry we will get their attention! And we shouldn't forget to contact the major pension funds and other entities that hold major stakes in corporate America. We should let them know how Main Street expect them to vote on such matters.

Those Wall Street Ceo's who awarded themselves those outrageous bonuses should have to return the money to the US government.

We are in real trouble financially in the world and for the republicans not to help this new president who is trying to do something for us all as well as for the world, is really making me see what happened these sad past 8 years with Bush. Also giving money to the arts, climate, Amtrack come on its great lots of people work in those areas they are areas that most of us like! Please don't use the word liberal for any politicians or any other terms they are just guys doing their job and some are greedy like the wall street guys and some are not we hope this new group is not because the last one was very greedy.

Its a good thing the President is extending unemployment payments because the way He and the media are Bashing General Aviation(private Jets), many high paying job will be lost over the hype. This is a large industry here in America.

I'd like to see the name of every Wall Street exec and their bonus published on CNN. They should let the pubic vote with their business feet on whether they agree with those bonuses.

I like the model encouraged by the Sïngapore gov't. When a company prospers, everyone top-to-bottom gets a percentage-based bonus. When a company suffers, everyone top-to-bottom gets percentage-based cut.

Surely Amercan execs can do something fair like this, or better!

Michael – Stonewall, CO

President Obama,
we are hungry.
send in the military to wall street and get our money back. put them on a ice chip in alaska and let it drift away.
thank you

I realize that I am coming into this story late, but has anyone proven that the bonuses were given to CEO's of companys that actaully took the bailout money? Not all companies took bailout money. If they did then I agree they shouldn't be giving bonuses. If they are private companies using their own money a bonus might be another story.

Years ago there were luxury taxes. The rich paid up around 50%. Let the people making the big money go back to paying taxes as before bushed. Then double them. You have to have the money going around in a circle in the US. Poor have to spend to survive. Rich save and spend on luxury, tax that luxury. Let yacht builders build smaller boats.

Rich peoples taxes are payed on profits from investments. For the richer increase these taxes.

We are asking the wall st companies to give up something while they feast at the government trough, but yet families have been on public funded welfare for years and yet ask them to give up nothing.

First
If you go to a bank for money they want to know what your going to do with the money. Why can’t the President have say in what they are doing with our money?
Second
He said he would reach out across the aisle, if they don’t reach back what would you have him do? Are they not responsible at all?

The CEO's awarding themselves these huge bonuses . . . sounds as though they have intentionlly defrauded the US government.

Since the American Public now have what amounts to an ownership interest in the major banks and financial institutions, why not make it law that the Treasury Secretary hold a seat on their respective Boards, and be empowered to make public any actions taken by the Boards which are of a compersation nature relative to senior executives. Thanks.

America the wall street executives who got those bonuses should be ashamed, even indited of impersonating Americans. These kinds of wall street abuses are comparable to 9/11. Companies that choose to lay off workers after years of record profits should use those profit to sustain their employees to weather this economic storm. They act distastefully UNAMERICAN.

Here is the problem. These companies are not private they are public by virtue of their size and the fact that their stock is publicly traded. They are stealing from the stock holders and in this case, the Nation. It is abominable. Most of these guys should be removed from their positions. More importantly, to stop the greed and lack of ethics, pay and bonuses should be based on profitability and capitalization. There should be maximums set. These 'leaders' only care about themselves and how much money they can steal from the stock holders.

GREED! is the name of our recent past starting from the TOP.
It is as shameful as it is sad.

new rules. if you were the cause of the problem you shouldn't be part of the solution.

What do I think of this???
Dispicable!
President Obama should not only curtail these bonuses... My pipe dream is that he'll demand all of the money back. I can barely stomach much more of this.

It appears that CEO's and related executives live in a bubble of their own. Are these individuals in touch with what is really happening with the people in the trenches during these difficult economic times? Based on their self-appointed bonuses and other spending habits, which appear to continue unrelentlessly, it would seem that they are not. It seems that they live by a different set of rules than those which the average public have to live by when it comes to finances and economics.
It is time for them to get a reality check and come down a few notches so they can feel the pain like the rest of us are.

I was not an Obama supporter, however, I dont think I have ever been more proud of any President than when I saw how genuinely angry he was when discussing the misuse of government funds for corporate bonuses, etc. Wow...it almost brought me to tears. FINALLY it seems like there is a politician out there who really feels the same way I do about this! He is slowly turning me into a supporter – never thought it'd happen!

I don't know why we don't just call this Wall Street Handout what it really is-Corporate Welfare. When We, the people, cannot find jobs, have lost our jobs, or otherwise have a financial meltdown and we turn to the government for help, they don't call it a "bailout", they call it welfare. Many Americans are ashamed to have had to turn to welfare, but because of the irresponsibility of the finance and banking sectors, billions of jobs have been lost, and there are zero jobs to be had. So I believe that Wall Street should be forced to follow the same rules as the people on Main Street. You know, the ones who pay our taxes to bail them out. On welfare you will only receive enough money to pay one of your bills per month, nowhere near enough money to pay your house payment, so you will go into foreclosure. Nobody will help you with this problem, because we gave the banks enough money to buy up other banks, so they can now take the financial hit of millions of defaulted loans. On welfare, you are required to spend 30 hours a week looking for a job, but as there are none to be found, good luck with that. You are only allowed to be financially insolvent for approximately 2 years in a lifetime, and you must meet with an employment counselor monthly only to be told that there are no jobs, but you will be cut off if you don't find one soon. No self respecting human wants a hand out. We want to work, and yet there are no jobs, and these corporate fat cats cannot do without bonuses larger than most middle class americans make in a lifetime. They should be brought up on criminal fraud charges. What they received, and are asking for more of is not a "bailout" it is a handout. Even welfare has rules and oversight. Where are theirs?

Every day since January 20th I have woke up with a big smile on my face....YES WE DID! I realize we have a long long way to go but President Obama, everyday I watch CNN I get a better feeling about America...
We need to keep digging deeper on Wall Street, the audacity of them taking millions for bonuses , I mean, how do those people sleep at nite? I bet if you dug even deeper you might find some indictments in that hole! What about the Banks????????? We need justice here!

This Stimulus & Bailout/Tarp plan is becoming a big joke. I have and had High hopes for President Obama, but it's starting to seem like he is out of touch with the taxpayers need. Why keep giving our money to people who don't need it. Nothing they have on the list will stimulate the economy. Yes the talk is good, and good talk is not helping the taxpayers or saving jobs.

I doubt your very own Sanjay Gupta MD, will ever earn anything close to what these bankers made (in salary or bonuses) as a neurosurgeon. Yet he performs a function infinitely more valuable (it's obviously hard to enjoy money if you're dead).
The argument made by Wall St that high salaries are required to attract the best talent is obviously flawed. Salaried academics at US universities earn a comparable pittance but I would bet they possess much higher IQs/SATs/GPAs than anyone on Wall St. You can get very bright people for much less.
We should ensure the salaries/bonuses of Wall St Bankers/financiers/hedge fund managers etc are comparable with salaried academic physicians. Wall St would probably argue such a system is socialist. However, since it would reduce cost (and therefore increase profit) it would actually represent pure free-market economics at its best. It woud also remove the profit-incentive for taking outrageous risks. Wall St would still be able to attract very bright people...like Dr. Gupta...

This question is for Wall Street executives from all industries who pay bonuses to "top talent" to keep them from going to other companies.

How much "talent" do you need to run a company into a financial crisis bad enough to ask the federal government for a bailout?

The problem is that it's business-as-usual + bailout money. Financial institutions and, realistically now, and a flawed economic ideology helped get us into this crisis and these institutions need to be enlisted, more appropriatly mandated, with input and cooperation from government, labor and the consumer to help get us out. All avenues of human activity, economic, political and social need to be envolved in the solutions to this national and world crisis. America can lead in this effort , after all it has been accused, and rightly so, as being the 'primary mover and shaker' in precipitating this crisis, but also, it has the constitution, the infrastructure, the idealism and the where-with-all to get us out. We have an opportunity to "reinvent the wheel," the "wheel of fortune," so to speak, and economic, political, and social justice–human values, are the keys that will inspire the solutions to this crisis. It's clear or is it our destiny to "fog" it up.

Easy, folks. When you keep your outrage on tap, it's easy to flood the house before you think clearly.

Not all, or even most, of the recipients of these bonuses are wealthy. Here in NYC, we've got 100,000 people or so working in financial services, and these payments are a large part of their compensation. They've got bills to pay just like everyone else.

This is just grandstanding on BO's part, and a pretty shameful bit at that.

I read this nice story in Hartford Courant. It begs national coverage in these times.

I gives a morale boost to lot of people when they hear about corporate greed and news about paying themselves 20 Billion on bonuses.

Government agencies can do much better jobs if more people get on board. Here is a very good start and there cannot be a better time !

Please follow the link below:

http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-furlough.art.artjan30,0,1503190.story

What has happened to common sense? Bonuses should be given for a job well done and should be based on a percentage of net profit. No profits, no bonuses. It is that simple.

The government (ie the people) should have the right to say no to paying bonuses from taxpayer money when obviously these people have not been doing a good job. If they were then we would not be where we are today.

The $40-million airplane incident said everything everybody needed to know and always suspected. Throwing money at weasels in tweed suits has not and will not solve the current economic crisis.

What will?

The creation of a federal lending authority, completely independent of private lending institutions, to supply credit to qualified borrowers is the only way to make sure that taxpayers money will get where it needs to go.

Where is the outrage from the Republican members of Congress! How silent they seem to be on this and many other issues regarding this financial mess. Rewards should not go to those who have not earned it - as the poor perfomances seem to bear out. I am increasingly shocked that members of Congress seem paralyzed by what is happening with our economy. Some days I wonder if this is because they are guaranteed a pension that is handsome and medical benefits for life... how nice for them.

I am a bill collector for Wells Fargo. I make $12 an hour and work overtime to make ends meet, sometime 12-13 hours a day. I was nominated by my peers last year to be 1 of 100 people to go to Disney World at the end of February for my exceptional performance. Wells Fargo did not "take" bailout money, they were forced to by the federal government. This trip has already been paid for by Wells Fargo last year before any money had ever changed hands. It is not being paid for by taxpayer money. Because of the negative media, this trip that I have so much been looking forward to for all of my hard work has now been cancelled. All of the services on the trip including the flight and hotel room are non-refundable. So, these rooms and plane seats wil remain empty even though they have already been paid for. It disappoints me that the media is telling everyone that these trips are luxurious golfing vacations for CEO's and executives when really the 100 people who were supposed to go on this trip are little guys like me making $12 an hour. Get the facts straight, then report.

500,000??? Wow...what I could do with that kind of money. It's everything I can do to keep propane in my tank just to heat my home for my 3 year old child. These people need to look up the word humility in the dictionary. Their worried about jets and the common folk is just trying to put food on the table. Where is our bailout?