The AIG Death Star

Hey don't look at me like that, you know full well that this is the level some of the populist furor over the economy (AIG in particular) is starting to reach…

click to enlarge

…what else do you call it when people are more upset over the less than 1% of the bailout money that went to bonuses, and aren't raising a similar ruckus over the people in Congress and the regulators that allowed AIG to happen in the first place?

Disclosure: at the time of publishing the author didn't own a position in any of the companies mentioned in this article; the ideas expressed are solely the opinions of the author and shouldn't be viewed as financial or investment advice.

Comments

[Chuck:]

Where's the reference to the "Evil Emperor" , Lord Cheney !

Mar 31 08:09 AM

[normthefedup:]

Outstanding Mark, simply outstanding. Talk about your pennywise and pound foolish..................

Mar 31 08:41 AM

[Fairminded ...:]

Brilliant until it crashed at the ending. Ed Liddy is not the bad guy here. You failed at your chance to get the whole story right.

Mar 31 10:54 AM

[Allan Frain:]

It is called a "Red Herring"--fully intended to distract the public's attention from the more significant issues and atrocious decisions.

Mar 31 02:55 PM

[mr freddo:]

If a 40 unit hospital costs $25 million, we could have built upwards of 10,000 hospitals around the world for the $200 billion we have given to AIG.

Imagine that. Here is your new hospital from the people of the United States. It is a gift to you. Then imagine 10,000 US made and built hospitals in every country on earth. A gesture like that would save millions of people who would otherwise die. A gesture like that might change history.

But no, we are dreaming of course of impossible things. It is a strange world where we don't think too much at all about shoveling $200 billion to an insurance company that deals in paper, while building 10,000 hospitals around the world for the same amount of money sounds ridiculous.

Mar 31 03:43 PM

[Candor7:]

Lords Gorelick and Franks, more like.


On Mar 31 08:09 AM Chuck wrote:

> Where's the reference to the "Evil Emperor" , Lord Cheney !

Mar 31 05:21 PM

[Markham Lee_:]

I like your hospital idea Mr. Freddo, imagine also if a fraction of that money was used to fund college educations. A nation of college graduates who don't have student loans to pay off would probably generate significant positive benefits for the economy.


-M

Mar 31 05:33 PM