[sailaway21]

It would take a lot to keep me at a company that I knew was on the ropes. I'd be betting that what they paid me was either a great windfall for me or it would be enough to get me by until I found a similar job.

Part of my problem in accepting the bonus and staying at the job is the guy at the desk next to mine. He does the same thing as I do but for a different part of the world and there really are only a few of us that do what we do. Then there's my assistant, who could step into my job tomorrow since I trained him for it, and I don't know if he's staying or going either. If they leave, I stay, and things go bad; there's two jobs in my limited high dollar field that are gone. I'm going to need a lot of money to stay.

I does seem that AIG declared almost everyone a critical employee to be retained and, as bljones states, the policy is of dubious merit as some leave anyway, complete with bonus!

Chump change.

The real money, the 27 billion dollars that went to Deutsche Bank as well as Goldman Sachs, who was "healthy" is the scandal for the American tax payer.

And CD, you're wrong as you so often are about the most basic of things. (How can you be right on the bonus matter and yet so confused on something as basic as free trade? Oh, you haven't educated yourself with the Friedman tape yet, have you?) If I own 80% of Coca-Cola, I can know any damn formula I want to know. And I'll just start firing directors and management until I get down to a level where someone will talk. That IS how it works. Chances are, if I own 80% of Coke, I've other matters more important on my mind.

The Canadian solution offered is, at best, entertaining. There's plenty of regulation on the books already and don't get to thinking this is an American problem. If AIG went under, you'd see just as many Euro and Canuck banks failing as US ones.

I'm not of the position that AIG should have been bailed out but, I must acknowledge that, if financial Armageddon were to have ensued were they not, it would have been unconscionable to not do so. In my opinion, the USD government should have, by now, itemized the toxic aspects of AIG's business and assumed their liability. They should have then sold the remainder of the company on the open market. Thus hopefully making a profit and getting out of the insurance business altogether.

Ignore Rick on the matter of free trade as well; he doesn't even have a CDL. (g)