AIG Considers Suing America for More Money

January 9, 2013 / esfein / Leave a comment

news.yahoo.com

We all remember what a disaster the 2008 economic crash was. We also remember not wanting to give any of our hard earned money to the institutions that sparked the collapse- but the boys in charge decided to give our money away regardless. This bail out money, $125 billion to be exact, helped to keep AIG afloat and out of bankruptcy. How do they thank us? By suing the American people for even more money!

That’s right, AIG’s directors are currently discussing whether they will get in on a collective corporate lawsuit that will sue you and me for “short changing their stock holders.” The company goes bankrupt, we hand them a fat stack of money we don’t really have, and they have the gall to turn around and complain that $125 billion wasn’t enough. $125 billion! Could a corporation possibly insult us anymore than AIG has?

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who was the head of the government’s oversight panel for the$700-billion bailout fund reminds us that:

AIG’s reckless bets nearly crashed our entire economy.

According to AIG, they have a responsibility to their stockholders, and it would be in their stockholder’s best interest to go ahead with the lawsuit. AIG, What about the people who kept you out of bankruptcy, who are subsequently the same people whose economy you turned upside down while taking over a billion dollars in bonuses after the fact.

This is like a homeless man suing a person who has just given him everything they own because he wears a shoe size smaller than the shoes he was given.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_crisis_of_2007%E2%80%932008

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jan/08/business/la-fi-aig-lawsuit-20130109

Al Gore Calls for an End to the Electoral College

September 10, 2012 / esfein / Leave a comment

A little late Al, but it makes sense that he would be in favor of ending the EC since he in fact won the popular vote in the 2000 election.

According to Gore, “many Americans are disenfranchised and some states are ignored because of the Electoral College, and it’s time to abandon it.”

Although I recognize that the EC was put in place to ensure weighted and fair representation for all states, basing elections purely on the popular vote does make a lot of sense. The popular vote ensures that each person gets their vote counted for the candidate they want to see in office, instead of having their vote transformed by their state’s overarching political preference.

I’m sure the EC isn’t going anywhere soon, but maybe one day each and everyone’s voice will truly make a difference in the ballots.

An End to the Electoral College

September 10, 2012 / esfein / 2 Comments

http://www.caglecartoons.com

A little late Al, but it makes sense that he would be in favor of ending the Electoral College since he in fact won the popular vote in the 2000 election, despite losing to Bush.

According to Gore,

many Americans are disenfranchised and some states are ignored because of the Electoral College, and it’s time to abandon it.

The electoral college was put into place in opposition to common suggestions that congress should choose the president. Some delegates like James Madison preferred a popular vote, believing it would be most ideal. However, there was a problem

of a serious nature attending an immediate choice by the people. The right of suffrage was much more diffusive in the Northern than the Southern States; and the latter could have no influence in the election on the score of Negroes.

That and,

The people are uninformed, and would be misled.

Seeing as how the American public has access to easy-to-understand sites like Wikipedia and Factcheck, ignorance has largely become a choice. So, Mr. Madison, we don’t have slaves, and we can think for ourselves, what do you think of the popular vote now?

Although I recognize that the Electoral College was put in place for good reason at the time, basing elections purely on the popular vote does make a lot of sense. The popular vote ensures that each person gets their vote counted for the candidate they want to see in office, instead of having their vote transformed by their state’s overarching political preference. We would be able to vote as individuals, instead of as all consuming groups. It might even allow more than two parties to become active in American politics, heightening ideological and strategical diversity.

I’m sure the Electoral College isn’t going anywhere soon, but maybe one day each and everyone’s voice will truly make a difference in the ballots.