AIG: The Commentary

by hilzoy

Something about the AIG story is bringing out strange reactions. Chuck Grassley:

"In a comment aired this afternoon on WMT, an Iowa radio station, Grassley (R-Iowa) said: "The first thing that would make me feel a little bit better towards them if they'd follow the Japanese model and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say I'm sorry, and then either do one of two things -- resign, or go commit suicide." (...)

Nobody else has suggested hara kiri for AIG executives, and Grassley's spokeswoman tried to make clear the senator didn't really mean it."

Meanwhile, Paul Kedrosky has a post called "The Case For Waterboarding AIG Execs". (No, he's not serious either.) 

Mel Martinez has one of the dumbest comments on the whole affair:

""What executives have done is troubling, but it's equally troubling to have government telling shareholders how much they can pay the executives," said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL)."

Um, Senator Martinez: who exactly do you think owns 79.9% of AIG's shares? Or do you just object to the government talking to itself?

All very peculiar.

Comments

[wonkie]

I'm cool with apologies followed by ritual suicide. Or should we make them promise to go Galt on us and withdraw their talents from our society?

I'm hoping that Cuomo gets the list of names. And leaks the names to the public.

[Redhand]

Mel Martinez is an idiot.

[yoyo]

Ritual suicide? No, the public deserves justice, they shouldn't be allowed off the hook.

[liberal japonicus]

Speaking of harakiri, I recommend the movie Seppuku (called Harakiri in English, but the term is rather coarse in Japanese) directed by Masaki Kobayashi. This review gives a hint and this review starts off with

Seppuku is a story of massive unjustifiable layoffs leading to disgraceful acts and deaths.

Take a look at the movie and then hope for a Hanshiro Tsugumo. AIG deserves it.

[Slartibartfast]

I'm cool with apologies followed by ritual suicide

Sure; any other sequence wouldn't work.

[russell]

I'd settle for firing their @sses.

[Dan Robinson]

I just e-mailed Martinez, (I'm in his district) to ask him what f?

[Lewis Carroll]

Isn't it just so cute how Martinez actually thinks that shareholders have a realistic say in executive compensation even when the shares are owned privately? Priceless.