A reader of Wise Bread named Vlatro left the best comment I have ever read in two years of blogging on my article about the AIG bonuses. Here is how it begins:
People seem to be missing the bigger issue. The tax code is now being used to punish people without giving them the benefit of a fair trial. The bonuses may be considered by some as unethical, I’m not going to waste time debating that. Has the law, as it is currently written, been broken? I don’t see indictments, trials or convictions. We just skipped the whole process and went straight to punishment. There are AIG employees receiving death threats and having their homes swarmed by angry protesters. Many of them were not the recipients of any bonuses. A Federally funded organization (i.e. supported by YOUR tax money) is providing tour buses to these people’s homes, doing every thing it can to throw more fuel into this fire. Not to mention that it was CONGRESS who authorized these bonuses, as a provision of the bail-out funds for the company.
Where is the public outrage against congress? Why aren’t their homes being stormed by angry mobs? We didn’t vote for any AIG members, but the elected officials who continue to be the beneficiaries of your tax money have betrayed to you. If you’re against the bonuses, they have played an equal part in robbing you. We’re throwing away the constitution to squelch an emotional need to act, even when the full facts aren’t available to the public.
I really suggest that you read the whole comment at Wise Bread because I don’t want to copy the whole thing. It ends with this:
I would spend the money to mail out millions of copies of the US constitution. The government will make their end on the deal in the form of postage, and a few people might actually wake up and realize what’s happening here.
Awesome comment or manifesto if you will.
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3 comments ↓
Wow – now that’s perspective! I think we often react in agreement or disagreement because of our emotions, but hearing another side, passionately presented, really makes us think!
I love this comment. Thanks for letting it star in its own post. I get nervous when I see angry righteous mobs rushing to open bags of feathers and warm the tar. So often we understand only a small piece of the story and instead we let anger do the thinking for us.
The commenter is so right. Where is the constitution in all this? And why are we so quick to let it be stepped on. Haven’t we had enough of that? Quite honestly, I’m sick of black and white and rush-to-judgment thinking. This is tough stuff with many layers. As much as I understand the frustration and anger, these are short-term reactions that don’t lead to sound long-term solutions.
Thanks, Baglady.
Ronnie Ann
Same story in every country, mate.
It’s a lot easier to attack private citizens than members of congress though, because that would mean acknowledging your country is beyond hope. Attacking AIG members just means that some guy took your money, rather than the people you trusted to take care of you. If they betrayed you it means you had bad judgement in choosing them, and nobody wants to admit that.
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