Posted on 03/26/2009 4:27:14 AM PDT by Kaslin
The enraged mob came to the doors of Congress in the dead of night with their torches glowing, their pitchforks raised, and their voices screaming for the blood of anyone from A.I.G. In response, 85 alleged Republicans from the House of Representatives threw them the rule of law, bits of our Constitution, and the legally binding contracts of fellow Americans as a way to not only appease the unbalanced anger, but as a cowardly way to ensure their self-preservation.
These Republicans, along with the predictable Democrats, voted to slap an un-American 90% punitive tax on the bonuses paid to any employee of a bailed-out institution with a household income higher that $250,000. It is for this reason and many others, that I now refer to myself as an “Independent Conservative” rather than a Republican.
Not only should the Republicans and Democrats who voted for this socialist inspired tax be ashamed of themselves, but for the good of our nation, every Member of Congress and the Administration should consider resignation so the American people can have a chance to put some adults in place before it’s too late. Has there ever been a point in our nation’s history when our government has been so leaderless, so spineless, or so clueless?
No one wants bonuses going to people who did not earn them or put us in peril. Beyond that obvious conclusion, it’s important to note that not everyone getting bonuses at these bailed-out companies were involved in cooking the books. Just as not every Member of Congress, this Administration and the past Administration, was involved in enabling the greatest economic crisis of our lifetimes. Only certain individuals. Should the salaries of those individuals also be federally taxed at ninety percent? Why stop there? Who else can we slap a socialist tax on?
Leaving aside the selfish, embarrassing, and transparent reasons for the House of Representatives pushed for this tax, there is a much greater reason to condemn the act. That being the personal safety of some of these financial employees. When you have Members of Congress themselves fanning the flames of hate that fuel the angry and uninformed mob, is it any wonder that these targeted American citizens are starting to wonder which country they live in or who they can to turn for protection?
Make no mistake. Employees of these companies -- labeled “Guilty by association” in the court of public and Congressional opinion -- are getting death threats. To the point where a spokesperson for A.I.G. said, “However someone may feel about the appropriateness of the retention payments, there is nothing appropriate about the threats that people have made to and about employees.”
When is enough, enough for certain Members of Congress and the media? Do some of these employees -- again, the vast majority innocent of the vile acts perpetrated by a few -- have to be burned out of their homes, injured, or even killed before they feel they’ve gotten their pound of flesh?
As this surreal process played out, one banker is quoted as saying, “It’s like a McCarthy witch-hunt. This is the most profoundly anti-American thing I’ve ever seen.”
Agreed. Who can rescue us from those pretending to rescue us?
wrong. it feeds into the class warfare rhetoric that is being stirred in our country and soon we will be no better than the CHAVISTAS in Venezuela.
My congressman, Lincoln Diaz Balart voted for this and also for the Volunteerism bill. I called his office and urge everyone to do the same.
Also his brother Mario Diaz Balart voted for both of these.
DemRats equivalent of the Reichstag fire.
There was a major discussion among the Republican leaders over this vote.
If it went strait down party lines the Democrats could use it as ammo to focus all that hatred people were feeling strait back at our side. By having some of their people support this it stripped the Dems of a huge issue to use against us next year in the midterms.
Can you imagine what the MSM would be screaming at the top of their lungs if we hadn’t had some of our side support this?
It was going to pass anyway, might as well not let them make huge political hay from it as well.
Here here. How long before the Congress is fueling the same sort of hatred for honest folks who earn more than $250,000 annually. Will angry mobs soon be marching through our neighborhoods?
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
Spot on!
> GIVE ME A BREAK!
In the words of the notorious Diamond David Lee Roth, “One Break Coming Up!”
“Most of the bonuses were entirely legal and proper. These are people, some hired specifically to fix the problem after the meltdown, with expertise. They were being paid at a market level. As in the case of the SVP resigning in the NYT, some accepted $1 salaries and a “retention” bonus conditioned on completion of specified tasks. The head of AIGFP was hired in November!”
I care not — this is a sideshow guaranteed to distract — as you have proven.
> Your comments about taxing them at 120% and throwing them in irons relies on ignorance of the actual circumstances. It is as much a manifestation of mob hysteria as the Congressional hearings and legislation.
No, it demonstrates my not caring one whit for this side-show. It is a manifestation of “I do not give a bloody blast.”
> And this is not a sideshow. This is part of the main event. It is the obvious vanguard action of the class war which will shortly destroy this country.
Class war is not going to destroy America — not shortly, not ever. You will find Liberals of all classes, and you will find Conservatives of all classes. Never the twain will meet.
An assaphant!
I think the ass part belongs in the back though.
> wrong. it feeds into the class warfare rhetoric that is being stirred in our country and soon we will be no better than the CHAVISTAS in Venezuela.
That just sounds paranoid. Class warfare in America is not going to happen. Just like Y2K.
You may well end up like the Chavisas in Venezuela, but that will be because of your border control policy — or should I say your border out-of-control policy?
They were not the ones who caused the problem. They were paid 1.00 yes one dollar a year to stay and close down the division that was causing the problem. The agreement was made long before any bailout money was given to them.
These people saved the taxpayers over a trillion dollars by the work they did. Oh, yes, they also paid their 35% in taxes after they got their bonuses. If they give it back it does not absolve them of paying those taxes.
What congress did in taxing 90% was WRONG WRONG WRONG!!! this should not be allowed to stand.
What is the matter with you? You are entitled to feel the way you do I will grant you that.
It appears to me that you have the mob mentality of class warfare. The AIG execs are not the ones we should be going after, it is those idiots in DC.
the fact that there is class warfare rhetoric to be found on FreeRepublic, a conservative website, in enough quantity to be noticeable to a number of us, is more than a little discomfiting. It plays directly into the dems socialist agenda. Discount it, if you will, but you don’t even live here do you?
It would have made much sense to refrain (vote present) then calmly point out in editorials countrywide “look what you Donkeys just bashed in the head, it was the return of the taxpayer money.”
But no, Mr. Republican Integrity, Grassley had to bloviate about it. Shoot, shoot, shoot from the hip. Arggh!
> Discount it, if you will, but you don’t even live here do you?
Nope. I’m a Canadian and Brit by birth, Kiwi by naturalization. I’ve traveled extensively in the US, spent alot of time there and seen most of your 50 states plus DC.
feeding class warefare rhetoric, redistributing wealth, whipping up the have-nots or have-less [and oh by the way, what was that bus tour of the CT homes of the AIG execs intended to do?] against first the AIG execs, then maybe just the top 5% of income earners then maybe go after those who make $250k per year. But, i don’t know, maybe you are down with that? not sure how you define socialism or what your feelings are towards it, but it is not the American way.
The donkey head is leading the beast in thought and action, so it makes sense in the current political environment.
If what you say is true, and I have no reason to doubt it, is makes the GOP worse rather than better.
> You have no idea what you are talking about. These people earned every dime.
That may or may not be so. I’ve said it many times: I DON’T CARE. It is a sideshow guaranteed to distract people like you. And it has worked a treat!
> It appears to me that you have the mob mentality of class warfare. The AIG execs are not the ones we should be going after, it is those idiots in DC.
America has quite a few problems right now. On one end of the scale, it has a bad case of acne. On the other end of the scale, it is bleeding from all orifices and its arse is on fire.
Yes, it should probably do something about the acne. But dealing with it now is a distraction, a side-show guaranteed to distract people like yourself.
It is more important, at this time, to deal with the bleeding and the fire. The acne can wait, surely?
Here is a link to the contact form for Lincoln Diaz Balart. He voted for this and also for the Serve America Act ( mandatory “ volunteerism “ )
http://diaz-balart.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Offices.Contact
one can look askance at the increase in class warfare and not take one’s eye off the big ball of wax. those who are weilding the pitchforks in the class war are the ones who are fixating on one thing. i think the rest of us have a pretty good idea of what the problems are and see the wave of populism as a manifestation of the bigger problem of encroaching socialism. That, is the goal of the left.
> not sure how you define socialism or what your feelings are towards it, but it is not the American way.
Glad you asked. I have no time for Socialism, Fascism, Communism or Naziism — in fact I am fundamentally opposed to all of those political beliefs.
While I decide my political stances on an issue-by-issue basis, I’d fall into the Conservative category on most issues, and I believe that the Republic model would be better for our Nation than the Constitutional Monarchy that we currently have. That said, I am also loyal to the Crown.
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