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  • Eric in IL: 
  • Comments (94)
  •  • StockTalk (1)
  Hey Eliot, how much did the taxpayers have to spend to deal with your indiscretions?

  Mar 17 06:09 PM | Link | Reply
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  • Whitehawk: 
  • Comments (74)
  This is a joke considering Spitzer was in Goldman's back pocket...

  Mar 17 06:11 PM | Link | Reply
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  • User 172387: 
  • Comments (2)
  Why do we care what he thinks again?

  Mar 17 06:23 PM | Link | Reply
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  • Niner: 
  • Comments (617)
  Talk about excessive compensation the House and the Senate should be investigated. Talk about a bunch of sneaky coniving SOBs when it comes to increasing their own pay.
  
  

  Mar 17 06:55 PM | Link | Reply
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  • User 378195: 
  • Comment (1)
  There are 2 reasons why the Spitzer scandal hit: (i) because Spizter unfortunately did have a high priced hooker and, more importantly to you and me, (ii) because the bankers knew that Spitzer was a real threat to expose their white collar crimes. Considering how prevalent hookers were in the NY banking and finance industry, the scandal was the perfect political assasination plot for the bankers to deploy. Now Spitzer, one of the few people in this world that actually posed a legitimate threat to the biggest crooks in modern history, has a voice again and you people really want to do is ignore him? You're all puppets.

  Mar 17 07:03 PM | Link | Reply
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  • Cerberus: 
  • Comments (115)
  •  • StockTalk (2)
  You guys are idiots! Everyone I met, who was successful through sheer power and money have all crossed that line. Go out and travel the world and ya'll will see it yourselves. This is normal, what cscares me is if someone doesn't abuse there powers.

  Mar 17 07:12 PM | Link | Reply
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  • DW Reid: 
  • Comments (41)
  •  • StockTalk (1)
  Goldman Sachs is untouchable. Like the mob.

  Mar 17 07:56 PM | Link | Reply
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  • D. McHattie: 
  • Comments (386)
  •  • Instablog (1)
  •  • StockTalk (1)
  Spitzer is right. Why are we so upset about a few million in bonuses when billions of the AIG bailout dollars went to non-american counterparties. These are American tax dollars!
  
  And even the American counterparties are pretty objectionable.
  
  Let's see, the former chairman of Goldman Sachs (acting as treasury secretary) orchestrated the indirect transfer of billions of dollars to Goldman Sachs. Um, conflict of interest, anyone?
  
  So Goldman receives $12B of taxpayer TARP money, obligation-free because it's been laundered through AIG. Now that, my friends, is an outrage!

  Mar 17 08:54 PM | Link | Reply
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  • 367851: 
  • Comments (58)
  Speaking of GS, why was Lehman - a competitor of GS - so easily allowed to fail? Bear Sterns is also gone. Kind of clears the field for Goldman, doesn't it, with all that TARP and AIG money burning a hole in their pocket. Follow the money and a lot of it goes straight to GS.

  Mar 17 09:54 PM | Link | Reply
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  • bricki: 
  • Comments (654)
  •  • Instablog (1)
  •  • StockTalk (7)
  As Lando noted, this deal is getting worse all the time.
  
  I don't think this story is over, and we are going to hear more about this for a long, long while.
  

  Mar 17 09:57 PM | Link | Reply
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  • tmorris007: 
  • Comments (25)
  Mr. Spitzer is right!
  
  Where is it written that counterparties should be made whole while shareholders, bondholders, creditors, taxpayers, etc. take a bath!
  
  Steve Forbes rightly proscribed several months ago, CDS's
  should be re-examined and modified or suspended where appropriate, along with suspension of mark-to-market accounting and reinstatement of the up-tic rule for shorting.
  
  Had troubled entities gone bankrupt, be they financial or manufacturing (cars) all contracts and obligations would be on the table for reconsideration.
  
  "Too big to fail" is not the same as "too big to reorganize".
  
  Mr. President, stop fighting this economic war with one hand behind your back.
  
  Eliminate the Wall Street self dealing, and force these enterprises into "Chapter 2, TARP-ruptcy"

  Mar 17 10:12 PM | Link | Reply
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  • Cobra 1: 
  • Comments (164)
  If everyone that reads this from ES, and makes a point to send a note to the white house and our elected officials, this wont die. If on the other hand, this is not postulated to the highest roof tops, this, like all other scandals, will pass into the night!

  Mar 17 10:17 PM | Link | Reply
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  • Yamaka: 
  • Comments (26)
  I believe CDS is very similar to insurance against default. AIG insured CDS for hundreds of banks in Europe, Asia and US including Goldman Sachs. Naturally, when most of the CDSs default, the insurer AIG, is obligated to pay the insured. Is that not the business dealings of AIG or Llyods, State Farm or any insurance company?
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  Spitzer must be allowed to come back to public life. He got into hooker problem, yes... it is bad for his family. His "hooker" problem should not disqualify him for a duty as a public prosecutor or even an elected official.
  
  He paid his money to the hooker for some good service!
  
  He is not convicted of any crime here, not even prostitution, so far.
  
  Listen to Spitzer. He has lots to offer to public policy and administration.
  
  Cheers.

  Mar 17 10:32 PM | Link | Reply
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  • Jackson Cash: 
  • Comments (342)
  This answer is so obvious -- because the US public, so-called leadership, Congress, and everyone else is nothing but suckers...
  
  Say it out loud now, "I am a sucker."

  Mar 17 10:56 PM | Link | Reply
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  • Illusional ...: 
  • Comments (346)
  It is unfortunate that this man that got ejected from public service to actually do something...I hope he gets back to nail these crooks...

  Mar 17 11:10 PM | Link | Reply
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  • halconnoche: 
  • Comments (13)
  If ES really wants to get these guys then help the AG behind the scenes. Not enough face time back there I guess. Frank, Dodd, etc now have the perfect diversion. Rail about a few million while the real money is being laundered to their banking friends who then give it back in campaign donations. What a bunch of crooks.

  Mar 17 11:35 PM | Link | Reply
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  • TR1: 
  • Comments (55)
  Many counterparties are institutions in countries that hold our Treasuries. We are bailing out AIG for the same reason we bailed out the bondholders of Freddie and Fannie; we need them to lend to us and they are more than a little pissed off that the regulators in our system allowed the ratings agencies to whore their reputations and rate the paper AAA and infect the institutions of countries worldwide. Where do you start?

  Mar 17 11:43 PM | Link | Reply
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  • nova: 
  • Comments (569)
  How to Not Pay the AIG Bonuses
  
  Just look at the list of companies AIG was paying billions of US Treasury dollars to. This list includes the majority of US major banks.
  
  How convenient. AIG became "a fall guy" for the Wall-Street and the major banks. The former Goldman's chief Paulson, being the Treasury Secretary, devised a very good script to channel government (taxpayers) money to Goldman and other Wall-Street using a very elaborate scheme of conduits including AIG.
  
  It is very important to find
  - When were these insurance contrats signed?
  - Who negotiated these insurance contract?
  - What prices did Goldman and others paid for these contracts?
  
  Summary
  Taxpayers must know exactly where all the money are going. The Congress, presidential administration and FED frauds must be exposed.
  ----------------------...
  Mar 16, 2009

  Mar 18 12:45 AM | Link | Reply