As it turns out, all that noise over AIG getting those big, ugly bonuses amounted to little more than a hill of beans. "The original amount agreed in early March was $30 billion, but officials subtracted $165 million in retention bonuses paid to employees of the AIG Financial Products unit last month," reported Reuters. Of course, the $165 million figure was never really key to the outrage to begin with. But they subtracted it anyway. Something tells me, to a board of executives responsible for losing $99.3 billion in 2008, $165 million is nothing more than a little 'Change.' -- Stephen C. WebsterAIG eats another $30 billion-ish
Today, AIG agreed to sell the US government 300,000 preferred shares in exchange for a little vitamin shot by way of $29.835 billion. Why not just round it off and make it $30 cool? Well ...
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Congressman Ron Paul Defends Concept Of Secession Defines principle as an American tradition Steve Watson | |||||||||
Texas Congressman Ron Paul appeared on CNN's Morning America today to defend the right of secession as an American tradition amid a growing media misrepresentation of the concept as unpatriotic.
"I think the biggest surprise to me was the outrage expressed toward an individual who even thinks along these lines," The Congressman commented.
"I heard people say this was treasonous and this was un-American, but don't they remember how we came into being? We used secession, we seceded from England." Paul said.
The Congressman explained that just because people are talking about the principle of secession, that doesn't mean that they are calling for it.
"It's a very good principle, it's a principle of a free society and it's a shame we don't have it anymore." Paul said
"I argue that if we had the principle of secession our Federal government wouldn't be as intrusive into State affairs, and to me that would be very good."
The subject hit headlines last week when Texas Governor Rick Perry raised the prospect of Texas seceding from the union.
Critics have charged that Perry is exploiting the burgeoning States rights' movement for his own political ends.
Turning to the economy, the Congressman was also asked whether select banks turning over record profits was an indication of the success of the bailout policy, to which he replied:
"If a gangster steals money and he's successful you don't celebrate! This is just going to make the people angrier."
Watch the video:
Related: Ron Paul On Seccession
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