Ah, Sloppists, the perils of technology! The router here at Solipsist HQ kacked out today. We think an armadilla nibbled through the antenna outside. In the meantime, we've managed to jury-rig a connection using tweezers and Q-tips, but we're not sure how long she'll hold together, Fingers crossed!
So, some news commentary:
"U.S. Pay Czar Tries Again to Trim AIG Bonuses"
The headline says it all, but we were struck by one minor factoid. Apparently, an audit found that several bonuses went to "unessential people," including, "a $7,700 bonus for a kitchen assistant, a $7,000 bonus for a mailroom assistant and $700 for a file administrator." The insinuation was that these bonuses were somehow especially ludicrous, given the "unessentialness" of the recipients.
Frankly, though, we here at the Solipsist have no fundamental objection to a file administrator getting $700 or a kitchen assistant getting $7,700. We're honestly surprised that kitchen assistant get such sizable bonuses, but good for them!
Let's face it, one of the main objections to the AIG bonuses was that taxpayer money went to the people who brought the country to the brink of financial ruin. We suspect, however, that it was not kitchen assistants making wild bets on subprime mortgages; indeed, they were more likely to be the one taking out said mortgages, and we suspect they were among the first to lose their jobs when the bottom fell out.
We hope, frankly, that if the pay czar claws back bonuses, he finds it in his heart to stop clawing before he hits the mailroom.
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