AIG, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E

It's been interesting to get some counterpoint on the whole AIG bonus debacle. Since the media are fixed on the "moral outrage" angle, let's see what the other side looks like.

XCKD pointed out that the words $170 billion and $165 million sound pretty similar right next to each other but, in fact, are not. A drop in the bucket.

Slate's John Dickerson pointed out on Twitter that expert retention bonuses are not, in fact, frivolous, but are necessary when you want to keep your top people--whether they earned them or not. He compared it to the de-Ba'athification of the Iraqi government after Saddam's ouster from power. The qualified people, some of whom may have joined the Ba'ath party simply so they could participate in politics, were fired and new people--without connections, expertise, or experience--were brought in.

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