Turning AIG in to a Big Bad Monster: We Need to Learn to Get a Long

We are on this boat called USA and we succeed together or we fail together.  Unfortunately, the new president, Mr. Obama, is playing blatant partisan politics.  Obama’s initial acts were to rescind Bush’s order to stop federal funding of abortions in other countries, try to close detention centers for suspected terrorist enemy combatants, and activate democratic spending programs.

Now, Obama and his people are embroiled in rather serious controversy.  American International Group was going to close when the government lends this company 170 billion dollars. Around September 2008, AIG received 85 billion from the American government.  Up to date AIG has received 170 billion from the American government.

During their new relationship with the US AIG has been behaving on the surface in troubling ways.  There have been reports of lavish spending.  Last week it was revealed that AIG executives have been paid 165 million in bonuses.

The people are outraged.  It is the opinion, that executives should not get any taxpayer money for their bonuses while they are in such economic trouble.  I do not share this opinion.

In psychology there is a term called transference.  Transference is when the client starts to show emotions related to the problem individual or problem circumstance in the client’s life towards the mental health professional.  For example, a man hates his wife for her controlling and manipulating ways and during the course of therapy; this man starts to accuse the therapist for being manipulative and controlling.

What I think is happening currently in the reactions against AIG is that people are transferring their frustrations over their own personal lives to AIG.  People are hurt and angry that their lives have come to this point of hardship. It does not help to have the media and politicians attacking “big business”.

Why would any one want to operate or start a business in America anymore?  I hope the goal in helping AIG was to help it succeed.  In order for AIG to return to success, its leadership must practice tried and true principals.  Bonuses in “corporate America” help retain valuable workers. 

This value is not intrinsic.  It is based on what they do for the company, not their moral quality.  To many people think that in order for these executives to deserve these bonuses they should understand economic hardship and defer payment of these bonuses until AIG is doing better economically.

However, in business operations, bonuses and other benefits are standard operating procedures.  All over America, sales departments are offering tickets to the NCAA championship for whoever sells the most.  Should these benefits not be offered or used because lean economic times?

Now people are talking about the taxpayer paying these bonuses to AIG executives.  The opinion is that it is wrong.  Do you want AIG to succeed or do you want unfairly hold them responsible for everything that has gone wrong with your life?

I am not offended or angered by anything AIG has done as a business.  Yesterday, I was wondering if any one sought out AIG to purchase insurance from them. By now, AIG has to have a “bad public reputation”.  The people who have to be hard up have to be the people who have open accounts with AIG and cannot close these accounts because of the loose they will accrue.

Here is the difficult part. You do not matter.  In the world of high finances and power politics, the regular old America going about his or her business does not matter.  Leaders of nations who will allow companies to conduct business within their borders and other businesses with lots of money to invest matter.

Obama knows these facts.  It is becoming apparent that before all the new outrage Obama, people in his administration, and congressional representatives knew about the executive bonuses.  Therefore, executives from AIG receiving bonuses while getting loans from the federal government are not new.

Okay, I started this article with the sentiment that we all need to find a way to get along. No one should be surprised by the unethical and immoral business behaviors of people in big business.  The answer is to not do business with the companies these people represent.

Americans are in the financial whole with AIG big time.  If AIG fails, the American taxpayer looses their investment.  Interfering in the internal operations of AIG may result in AIG’s financial collapse.

Hating AIG for sake of hating some one is foolish nonsense.  All the monies in bailouts from Bush to Obama are loans with interest.  When these companies that have received taxpayer money start making a profit the tax payer will reap the rewards.  If any company fails, the feds will seize property and auction it off to recoup looses. 

Therefore, the media and politician’s effort to make AIG in to a big monster is nothing but pitting one group after another.  The worse thing that can happen is for people to get a bad attitude about corporate America.  The American free enterprise system needs small business as well as big business.

I have no problem with how people manage their business.  During the Coca Cola civil rights lawsuits, I abstained from drinking COKE in solidarity with the afro-Americans who were claiming they were discriminated against by Coca Cola.  I still will not buy SNEAKERS candy bars.  I will not purchase at 7 11 convenient stores or Valero convenience stores.  7 11 stores sells gas from HUGO CHAVEZ oil.  Okay, a news story on the wed states that 7 11 has stopped selling gas from the state owned gasoline company in Venezuela.  I am still not going to forgive them. Valero is a Mexican owned company.  I do not like how Hispanics try to manipulate politics in America in favor of elements that will weaken the US.

See, there is the power of the American consumer.  When you see employees of a company behave badly, you can choose not to do business with that company.  Eventually the company will close. 

Why did the American government get so financially involved in all this economic mess?  What you are not being told is the deliberate intent of foreign leaders to destabilize power in America by rapidly withdrawing their monies from American banks. 

Regardless of the facts, here we are in this mess.  What are we going to do for the rest of time?  Will we find ways to become each other’s enemies with big business and angry consumers at odds?  Maybe, we should just grow up, take personal responsibility for our own lives, and stop blaming others.

I do not trust Obama.  In addition, I think it is sad he has chosen the politics of division to ferment his policies.  America is fine with the formula of businesses and consumers. They are not my enemy.  I am not their enemy.  Democrat politicians trying to gain power in order to drastically change this country are the real problem, in my opinion.  However, I am not going to stop working for personal achievement and personal success and/or turn my neighbor in to my enemy.