Who's to Blame? The Rich or the Stupid?

Everyone (well, almost everyone) wants to be rich. We want the American dream. The catch is, we don't want anyone else to be rich. At least that's the way we're acting.

Recently, there was outrage over bonuses paid to AIG executives in the wake of a federal bail out - outrage over paying all of those fat cats "our money". So we're mad at the AIG executives. Why oh why aren't we mad at the government? Isn't it Congress that approved the loan which gave AIG all that cash? Isn't it Congress that gave them the money without doing ANY homework?

I suspect most of you think that the folks who received those bonuses should have simply said "no". If you were in their shoes, would you say, "no thank you... I haven't exactly earned this cash which is contractually owed to me. Keep my portion and let this poorly run company squander it away. Better yet, give it to the government as a deposit against the money they lent AIG. God knows the government won't waste it!" Would you say that?

Now, back to our government. What in the world were they thinking? You'd think they would at least take the time to examine the salary structure of the personnel on the payroll. Nope... action needs to be swift and bold, before it's too late!

Your outrage is no mistake, by the way. It's all part of a plan to get you angry at the rich. If you're angry at them, it's easier to vilify them and confiscate their wealth. May I even suggest that the current administration knew this was coming, and salivated at the prospect of tarring and feathering those evil rich bastards.