Government Bailout-(It's Good to be AIG)

I have no love for any of our politicians. After this bailout of big business, I understand Mark Twain who said "that politicians and diapers should be changed often, and usually for the same reason." Since many can't comprehend 700 trillion dollars, let's break it down into a smaller number... how about $700,000 x 1 Million. Sounds like a great idea, right. Throwing money at a problem doesn't make it go away. In fact, the accompanying story is how AIG helped spend some of the $85 billion that they were given to bail them out of financial crisis. I hate to wish ill on someone, but I hope the government sues the AIG execs into oblivion.


AIG execs' spa retreat

Hey, AIG execs, you just got an $85 billion bailout from the government to help rescue your company. What are you going to do to relax, unwind, breathe that sigh of relief?

How about a trip to this luxurious spa?

Turns out, that's what they did. Ever since this financial crisis hit, economic terms like "dead cat bounce" are as popular in search as celebrities.But reports that AIG's executives spent roughly $440,000 for rooms, banquets and spa services really got Web searchers looking for more.
Previous to the AIG trip, the Bora Bora St. Regis resort was the chain's most famous. It's where Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban had their honeymoon. But now all eyes are on the St. Regis in California, where the AIG execs lived it up. And since it charges $350 a pop for massages, no wonder the tab added up quickly. For a little perspective, the money these folks spent on just the banquets (about $147,000) is more than twice the median household income of Maryland, the highest-earning state in the country. And that's not even counting the costs they incurred at the resort's Vogue Salon.

How can you not be mad about such excess? Some CEOs are feeling our ire directly, like this CEO, who was punched in the face at the gym and knocked out cold.
Maybe he can find peace on his indoor squash court in his 20-room mansion. (Compare that to the current home of this financial wizard — a home bought in 1958 for just $31,500.)