That is how executive employees get paid. They make a salary and bonus. If you want to hire an executive you are going to either pay him a bonus or get a lesser grade executive that is trying to stamp his resume and move on.
These retreats are not vacations. They are working meetings. If you ever go on one you will in no way confuse the 2. You can’t have these kind of meetings in the conference room down the hall. You have to get away to effectively concentrate the staff… If not you will not get the desired effect.
The are a voluminous amount of articles out there regarding TARP, Google can be your friend on this…
TARP was passed under Bush, yes, but only half was spent under Bush. In January, Obama and Bush met and Obama specifically asked Bush to request the sencond half of the money from Congress on HIS behalf. It was all part of the “team” approach in the transition. TARP was only passed because 2/3’s of the YEA vote were DEMOCRATS, one of which was Obama, and you may recall they did not need ANY Republican votes to do it, as the Dem’s had the majority to do it, as they have had for the past two years before Obama was elected (Congress writes the checks). So, more accurately, TARP is a Dem program in general that is now being administered under Obama, a Dem. In addition, in the beginning of February, the Obama administration changed the rules regarding TARP OWNING how the rest is paid.
Not to mention that TARP II (TRILLIONS), as well as all the other additional spending, is totally under Obama. Add onto that the “stimulus” bill exceeded the cost of TARP.
The Omnibus was specifically put off by the Dems until Obama was in office, because Bush was going to VETO it because of the 8% INCREASE the dems wanted and they ultimately got under Obama.
While I’m no defender of Bush’s role in TARP, I am confused as to why you are defending Obama’s role in this, and the rest of his decisions going forth…
I remember when H. W. Bush was president and he said we must pass NAFTA. Clinton was running against him and said that NAFTA would be a big mistake. The same month Clinton took office he said that we must pass NAFTA. I said what the heck is going on. Fast forward to today. W. Bush started throwing money at this recession and in comes Obama doing the same thing. I just wonder who is running this county. I think they have a playbook, or a continuity guy for the government. You know like the guy in the movie that makes sure that if they end filming for the day. He makes sure that before they resume filming the next day that the cigarette has the same length ash or the beard is the same length or the hair is parted on the same side. This guy for the USA makes sure that from president to president we follow the playbook. I don’t think any of them are running driving this runaway car.
Bluemoon06, I can actually see what you mean on the puppet-scenario, but to be honest, if you feel that way, it just confuses me more why you would then feel you need to defend Obama on this…
I am not defending Omama. I don’t attack any of these guys. Since Reagan, I have not taken them as the boss of us. I see them as politicians whose job it is to keep the masses in line while the plan unfurls. These guys are straw men set up to draw our attention. I don’t take wacks at them. I watch to see what happens.
I have said before that the person th tawins teh election is the better looking of the two. It is American Idol political.
“That TARP money was Bush’s money. You can’t put that on Obama.”… - Bluemoon06
Sounded like you were defending him in the above post… You puppet-postulaiton didn’t appear until a few posts later which would negate your initial, although as we’ve seen - incorrect, statement above…
I guess I am actually defending them all. These guys are not coming up with these plans. Think about it…Obama is a smart guy but he has no idea how to fix an economy. He was a professor in real life. He is following some script. Bush is not a smart guy you know he had no idea how to fix an economy. If that job was that important, we should not vote for them we should hire the smartest guy in the country to do it.
Well, actually Bluemoon06, you singled out Obama for defense in that statemnent, which is what originated the back and forth, but it seems you’ve now modified it, so we’ll leave it at that…
I just got the feeling that you were gearing up to be one of those who were going to try and say that the $787 “stimulus” program was responsbile for the inevitable turn-around that’s already started (as slow as it will be), despite the fact that according to the CBO, less than 23% of it is scheduled to spent during the whole of fiscal 2009.
When that assertion does happen, my question will be, if less than 23% could have done it, why did we spend 4x that on “stimulus” and quadruple it through other programs?
What you’ve witnessed is an old slick sales trick; ask for much more than you need, and when it is scaled back, you’ll get all you want.
Unfortunately, this money is giving them more and more power to take control over people’s lives and they won’t feel the affect until it is too late… why do you think they made AIG bonuses such a big deal, when they originated the problem? Major distraction that focuses the mass on AIG and threateninng their employees lives (with the President egging it on), when the government is exponentially worse… and the “free” media either were played along with the mass, or were co-conspirators in it… either scenario is not good… why were the major outlets not bringing up the absolute hypocrisy of the situation?