The global financial crisis deepens, with more than 10 million in the 美国 out of work, according to the Department of Labor. Unemployment hit 6.7 percent in November. Add the 7.3 million “involuntary part-time workers,” who want to work full time but can’t find such a job. Jobless claims have reached a 26-year high, while 30 states reportedly face potential shortfalls in their unemployment-insurance pools. The stunning failure of regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission was again highlighted, as former NASDAQ head Bernard Madoff (you got it, pronounced “made off") was arrested for allegedly running the world’s largest criminal pyramid scheme, with losses expected to be $50 billion, dwarfing those from the Enron scandal. The picture is grim—unless, that is, you are a corporate executive.
The $700-billion financial bailout package, TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program), was supposed to mandate the elimination of exorbitant executive compensation and “golden parachutes.” As 美国 taxpayers pony up their hard-earned dollars, highflying executives and corporate boards are now considering whether to give themselves multimillion-dollar bonuses.
据《华盛顿邮报》报道,问题资产救助计划法中禁止此类支出的具体措辞在最后一刻发生了变化,布什政府做了一个小而重要的一句话编辑。 《华盛顿邮报》报道称,“这一变化规定,处罚仅适用于通过拍卖向政府出售问题资产而获得救助资金的公司。”
阅读细则。在待支付的问题资产救助计划救助资金中,只有那些技术上用于“拍卖”的资金才会对高管薪酬进行限制。但负责该计划的财政部长亨利·保尔森和他的前高盛同事尼尔·卡什卡里(是的,发音为“现金携带”)并不倾向于将资金用于拍卖。他们更喜欢他们的资本购买计划,即交出现金直接回忆一下保尔森的简历:他开始在尼克松白宫担任约翰·埃利希曼的特别助理,然后在高盛工作了四分之一个世纪,高盛是救助资金的最大接受者之一,也是雷曼兄弟的主要竞争对手。 ,保尔森让这家公司倒闭。
政府问责办公室10月202日发布了一份关于问题资产救助计划的报告,表达了对接受救助资金的公司缺乏监管的担忧。报告指出,“如果没有强有力的监督和监测职能,财政部确保适当水平的问责和透明度的能力将受到限制。”非营利新闻机构 ProPublica 一直在追踪救助计划,报道财政部尚未公布的细节。截至周二,250家机构已获得总计接近XNUMX亿美元的救助资金。
众议院议长南希·佩洛西近日表示,“财政部执行问题资产救助计划不够透明,也不对美国纳税人负责。”众议院金融服务委员会主席、马萨诸塞州民主党人巴尼·弗兰克 (Barney Frank) 早些时候表示,“将这些资金用于……奖金、遣散费、股息、收购其他机构等……违反了条款”的行为。”
Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of 爱荷华州 said of the loophole, “The flimsy executive-compensation restrictions in the original bill are now all but gone.” Put aside for the moment that these three all voted for the legislation. The law clearly needs to be corrected before additional funds are granted.
这些华尔街巨头带走的金额是惊人的。在其年度“高管超额”报告中,公平经济联盟和政策研究所报告称,2007 年高盛首席执行官劳埃德·布兰克费恩(保尔森的继任者)的薪酬为 54 万美元,美林首席执行官约翰·塞恩的薪酬为 83 万美元林奇的身价高达11万美元。美林今年亏损超过 10 亿美元,随后被出售给美国银行,但塞恩仍想要 XNUMX 万美元的奖金。
Paulson, Kashkari and their boss, President George W. Bush, might not be the best people to spend the next $350-billion tranche of 美国 taxpayer money, with just weeks to go before the new Congress convenes Jan. 6 and Barack Obama assumes the presidency Jan. 20. As Watergate leaker Deep Throat was said to have told Bob Woodward, back when Paulson was just starting out, “Follow the money.” The 美国 populace, its representatives in Congress and the new Obama administration need to follow the money, close the executive-pay loophole and demand accountability from the banks that the public has bailed out.
丹尼斯·莫伊尼汉为本专栏贡献了研究成果。
艾米·古德曼 (Amy Goodman) 是《民主现在!》(Democracy Now!) 的主持人,这是一档每日国际电视/广播新闻节目,在 700 多个电视台播出 北美.
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