AIG paid out big bonuses to top execs when the company was not doing well. People were up in arms, so upset there were protesters outside the homes of AIG management. AIG use the lame excuse that they had to pay the bonuses because of the contract they signed with the execs. The U.S. government was so outraged at that they demanded the bonuses be paid back. As a back up they tried to make a targeted tax aimed just at the bonuses of these people. I think targeted taxes are a great idea, don’t you? What could go wrong with the IRS targeting specific people with a tax? So now where are the protesters outside the D.C. city offices? Are you even aware of this story?
“City officials have doled out nearly $15 million in bonuses and awards since Mayor Adrian Fenty took office in January 2007″
The city is in a budget crisis because of mis-management and they are paying bonuses? Remember the words of Barney Frank “maybe it’s time to fire some people“. They better watch out for congress and the protesters! Where is the big purple dinosaur now? Oh wait they have a good reason to pay these bonuses. Once you hear the reason I am sure you will agree. What was the groundbreaking reason? First lets see who got what and how well the city is doing.
“The bonuses were ladled out even as the city was facing nine-figure budget shortfalls and officials — including Rhee — were firing employees by the busload, claiming they could no longer afford them.”
Let me get this straight, they are firing employees due to lack of funds and at the same time paying bonuses? I thought the greedy capitalist corporations were the ones who did that not our govt. Here is a quick not complete list of who got what;
City officials have doled out nearly $15 million in bonuses to;
Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, was handed $41,250 in August 2007 after barely two months on the job
Under Rhee, Fourth-graders’ test result are now only the fourth-worst in the nation and eighth-graders’ are only the second-worst.
It paid to be on Rhee’s good side. School employees, including Rhee’s top staff, accounted for nearly half of the Fenty-era bonuses, records show.
Then-special education “czar” Phyllis Harris was paid $17,000 in 2008
special-ed bureaucrat Karen Griffin was given $25,000 the same year
Rhee’s chief of staff, Lisa Ruda, was given $17,000 in 2008
Department of Health Director Pierre Vigilance, who was given $15,000 in 2008
city property manager Robin-Eve Jasper, handed $18,000 over two years.
Mary Clegg, schools superintendent executive, $25,000 in 2009
Eric Stanchfield, D.C. Retirement Board, $21,997 in 2009
Anthony Pompa, finance office executive, $21,796 in 2008
Ok so what was the good reason for all of this?
“Attorney General Peter Nickles said most of the bonuses to employees were tied to contracts that were entered into when “times were better” and that the city couldn’t back out of them now.”
So it was because of contracts? Isn’t that what AIG said? They were told to not honor their contracts. Maybe Peter Nickles didn’t hear about AIG. At least with all these bonuses being paid it have not really hurt the city services.
Or has it?
“Fenty, Rhee and [police Chief Cathy] Lanier have tried to tell everybody in the city we don’t have enough police officers, firefighters and teachers because they don’t have any money.”
What? No money? Did you know that while they were telling you this they were lining the pockets of their favorite people? (listed above) Not everyone in D.C. has handed in their integrity and soul, police union Chairman Kris Baumann said. “If you put this in a movie, people wouldn’t believe it. It would be too far-fetched.” Far-fetched it may seem but true it is. After reading all this are you wondering how this is possible? Me too. Here is what Michelle Rhee did to fix this mess…
“Worried by possible bad publicity for doling out cash during a recession, the city council voted to ban the practice as of Oct. 1, 2009. That hasn’t stopped the gravy train from rolling: Records show hundreds of employees have been paid more than $565,000 in bonuses since October.”
Thank you Chancellor Rhee-Palpatine for taking action. Worried about bad press- that is code for worried someone may find them out- Rhee stopped. They didn’t stop because it was the right thing to do. Maybe they realized they were wrong to pay bonuses? Or that it was wrong to fire people and tell the people of the city there was no money for city services like police, fire and teachers? Nope, it was bad press. With the people in leadership focusing on payouts is it any wonder the schools are so bad?
Welcome my friends to the brave new world. This is no surprise, if you want to know more about what is happening in our world and why it seems to be upside down click here.
Some information for the above was taken from the below story by Bill Myers.
D.C. hands out $15M in bonuses despite recession, budget gaps