Posted on 10/08/2008 7:12:17 AM PDT by COUNTrecount
Less than a week after the federal government had to bail out American International Group Inc. (AIG), the company sent executives on a $440,000 retreat to a posh California resort, lawmakers investigating the company's meltdown said Tuesday.
The tab included $23,380 worth of spa treatments for AIG employees at the coastal St. Regis resort south of Los Angeles even as the company tapped into an $85 billion loan from the government it needed to stave off bankruptcy.
The retreat didn't include anyone from the financial products division that nearly drove AIG under, but lawmakers were still enraged over thousands of dollars spent on catered banquets, golf outings and visits to the resort's spa and salon for executives of AIG's main U.S. life insurance subsidiary.
"Average Americans are suffering economically. They're losing their jobs, their homes and their health insurance," House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., scolded the company during a lengthy opening statement. "Yet less than one week after the taxpayers rescued AIG, company executives could be found wining and dining at one of the most exclusive resorts in the nation."
The hearing disclosed that AIG executives hid the full range of its risky financial products from auditors as losses mounted, according to documents released Tuesday by a congressional panel examining the chain of events that forced the government to bail out the conglomerate.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
What if it was already spent and not refundable?
The dem’s October Surprise is getting out of hand...
Sorry, but I think we have to agree to disagree here. I truly don't think that there was any chance of 'recovering' the deposit so giving it to charity was moot. I stand by my rationale of why it made sense to me and will add these considerations.
Consider the individual attendees. If I was scheduled for this 8 day event, I would have already bought airline tickets, had replacement coverage for my office duties and set other things to be done in my absence knowing I wasn't going to be using my car or other personal items.
Now I get a sudden call to cancel all of this and then I am to do what? It is one thing if the company is being liquidated, then everything is gone, I get my belongings out of the office and look for other employment. In AIG's case, they are still working there, they will logically submit expenses for the lost airline ticket and ALL ASSOCIATED Expenses since they were CAUSED by the COMPANY. Have you ever tried to get a refund for a current airline ticket - so sorry!
As for Public Relations efforts, I have no doubt that they are ongoing but as I said in my previous reply, given the election and media biases, I am thinking that no explanations or justifications were given any credence.
WE are, every time we elect the politicians that we do.See my tag line.
Doesn’t matter. Once you let Uncle Sam in the door, you have to wear drab clothing and use gunmetal office furniture, and you CANNOT have employee outings like this.
You're right. The hopeless buffoons in industry aren't any brighter than the congress critters and they're taking home multi-millions in golden parachutes. Maybe we got a pretty sweet deal going only paying these critters a couple hundred thou a year.
The thing that irks me is that all the companies back in the early 00s were prosecuted bigtime. Several Enron execs committed suicide. Ken Lay was ruined, and died shortly after in disgrace after having the humiliation of auctioning off all his things to pay his judgment. Worldcomm got in a similar mess as this with the million dollar birthday party.
I realize the true playas will skate, they usually do, but this public demands some people HANG over this, and it is going to continue to be one sour electorate until and unless that happens.
It won’t take long either. If Obama wins, his honeymoon is going to last about one day. Hell, McCain may NOT want to win. It’s not going to be a good time to be president. And don’t tell me about how the press loves rats... they were plenty sour on Clinton when he was up to his shenanigans.
I understand your point, I’m involved with conference planners, and I’ve had a club reserved for outings for companies I’ve worked at. Still and all, bottom line, I frickin’ hate AIG. They screwed my father over, caused him to lose the will to live, and it bothers me not one whit to see their @$$es on fire over this.
There were plenty of things they could do to mitigate this. Again, I admit, they might have thought a morale-booster was just the thing, but it looks bad, really bad, not least because now it’s Taxpayer money.
I’m actually shocked that their democrat friends in congress are outraged. But then there is no proof of outrage on the part of congress, just hot air. Prosecution and seizing their personal assets to offset the taxes to bail the company out of the mess they created would positively indicate real outrage and anger.
Never happen, they are big democrat contributors.
A simple statement from PR saying that in these economic times AIG recognizes that a resort vacation is inappropriate. All efforts to use the paid event for various charities will be explored.(Ronald MacDonald houses,Gilda’s Place, etc)
So how does AIG look now as opposed to how the MSMs would have reported the different outcome?
You’re thinking like an event planner.The people who have lost vast amounts in their 401K’s and retirement funds aren’t.
In ages past this would have been torches and pitchforks time, with the peasants heading for Frankenstein’s castle...
A non-point. They knew they were going under long before they went to the spa. Their little vacation is just one more indicator of their lack of consideration for the financial disaster they had helped bring about.
We all are a little edgy? LOL
Don’t worry.
Our rapidly disappearing middle class is the glue that's held our society peacefully together for so long. Few will recognize the important role it's played until it's gone. Then watch hell break loose. Murder, kidnapping for ransom, extortion will all increase. Hello, third world America!
Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.
I have since learned it was spent after the fact and not before.
They should re-emburse.
People like you are why we have things like judgment N.O.V. and related ways to make sure juries don’t completely ignore the law.
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