Re: This is getting out of hand (was: Congress' reaction to AIG bonuses ...)

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Seth Finkelstein <sethf () sethf com>
Date: March 22, 2009 3:20:18 PM EDT
To: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
Cc: David Farber <dave () farber net>, Rich Kulawiec <rsk () gsp org>
Subject: Re: [IP] This is getting out of hand (was: Congress' reaction  
to AIG bonuses ...)

[Not for IP]
On Sun, Mar 22, 2009 at 11:32:05AM -0700, Lauren Weinstein wrote:
> Seth,
>
> Perhaps.  But the point at the moment is that the money has already
> been paid,

        Doesn't matter if it's an "unjust enrichment". If you murder
someone for the insurance money, you don't get to keep that money if
you've convicted only after the money was paid out. It's completely
legal to be required to pay back money if it's ruled there was
something wrong with how it was obtained. Plenty of people have been
affected by such rulings without it being a national soul-searching.

> and we're seeing "mob rule" rhetoric in response that
> threatens to do far more damage than the payment of the bonuses.

        I'm thoroughly unconvinced. The situation strikes me as a
classic "nutpicking" propaganda maneuver, where apologists for power
pick some extreme statements and then bash everyone who does not
immediately join the chorus about how terrible, terrible, terrible it
all is.

        Frankly, there's too many times in my life I've been told some
agreement really didn't mean what it looked like it meant, and if I
didn't like that, I could fight some expensive lawyers or lump it. So
I can't work up much outrage at the horrible, horrible, horrible thought
that some superrich might come out on the short end of the stick and
be just a little less richer than "entitled", oh how our society
would collapse if that happened, I must condemn it immediately.

        On the scale of injustice, there's plenty of far more worthy causes.

--
Seth Finkelstein  Consulting Programmer  sethf () sethf com  http://sethf.com




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