Protesters visit AIG officials' lavish Connecticut homes

This is beginning to go from stupid to dangerous.

People have to get it into their heads that the bailout to AIG is a loan which they intend to pay back. As stinky as they are, AIG did not come into its present form without political help on both sides.

Stalking individual AIG employees' homes will not make the stink go away.

Stalking individual AIG employees' homes will not make the stink go away.

Absolutely correct. But it will make some people feel better.

I have just one question, What kind of idiotic financial company pays "retention bonuses" in these times. Let them walk and try to find another job. Nobody is hiring, it is not like headhunters are lined up to hire banking executives.

Now they know where these creeps live.

After the show trials come the little Jacobins.

“Lord, I wonder what it’s like to live in a house that size,” she said.

Maybe if you applied yourself and worked hard instead of sitting on your ass like a baby bird waiting for someone to drop a worm in its mouth, you might eventually learn what it's like. Put down your lottery tickets and pick up a textbook.

Absolutely correct. But it will make some people feel better.

It will do more than that hopefully. I am certainly not for violence or threats. However, policing will always require some of both, yes?

People like these need to be made to feel the heat sometimes, and posting on the internet just won't do it. These people need to know that their actions have consequences, on themselves as well as the country. I sincerely hope they fear for their safety enough to start acting responsibly and honestly even if they would still prefer, deep down inside, to just quietly take the money and run.

It is long past time for a peasant revolt on our feudal lords. Happy to see some people are not just sitting and taking it.

I agree with Buddha... it's starting to look like it could turn into a lynch-mob mentality (I mean literally, not politically), and that's dangerous for everyone. Putting pressure on the company, and possibly its peoples, is one thing, but this is too much.

I also think it's starting to borderline on ridiculous. No one deserves to be that rich, for sure, but to go there and practically demand, with a mob no less, that you should be helped out by these people because of their fortune... it's just not right. Whether or not these people earned the money fairly is something people have a right to wonder as individuals, but doing nothing and simply feeling that you are entitled to some of their wealth is not going to help things at all.

Jeez, class wars in America! Storm the Bastille, Off with their heads!

The stakes are getting higher in the bailout game. I think AIG employees should fear the crowd. They will probably have to build high walls around their homes. They should put bars on their windows so no one can get in or out. Way to go. AIG

techall at 12:53 PM JST - 22nd March: Jeez, class wars in America! Storm the Bastille, Off with their heads!

Since our last bloody bout that resorted in the unions being legalized (yes, there was a time when they were illegal), laws against child labor being enforced, and an 8 hour work day (used to be a MUCH longer workday in case you did not guess), we are overdue for such warfare. Our complacence has made the rich overly bold. Now they just walk in, take our money, wave their hands and make some statements in Latin and assure us that its necessary for the future of all, and then leave and laugh all the way to the bank. Its got to stop.

@likeitis: So I guess you believe all the rich corporate execs should be thrown out and the mansions turned into communes for the masses (a al Dr. Zhivago). Who was your hero befoe Obama, Lenin?

techall, that is a very interesting interpretation of "being made to feel the heat" and "its got to stop".

Perhaps when your psychotropic drug high has worn off, and you tire of building strawmen complete with Che Guevara T-shirts we could discuss these things like mature adults?

It is long past time for a peasant revolt on our feudal lords.

Geez, likeitis. Pining for the days of early 20th century Russia and Bolshevik revolution?

Although I agree that AIG has shown some extremely bad judgement in terms of offering bonuses while its own corporate mouth is firmly fastened to breast that is public funds, I do think this who "witch hunt" mentality has got out of hand. This stinks of stalking.

At the same time, however, it is important to see the lighter side? I wonder if their are package tours to Connecticut that are taking advantage if this storm in a tea cup? I think it would be a pretty funny (if scary) experience to wake up one morning with a load of homeless-lefty-hippies on your front lawn. Talk about kicking the guts out of property resale values (lol). Moreover, I wonder if some bright sparks have set up a concessions business to cater to the needs of all these itinerants. Only in America.....

I think AIG employees should fear the crowd.

Are you kidding? Did you see any pictures or video clips of this rent-a-mob? It was a bunch of obese black women and some old ladies. They would have had difficulty making it up the driveway without getting winded. My guess is some Democratic Party support organization rented the bus, and at the very least, paid for the protesters' meals (these looked like the type that can't go three hours without putting their face in the trough). They did it on the cheap though. Just one bus, just 40 protesters. It was nothing but a well planned photo-op.

Well who knows? Maybe that "bunch of obese black women and some old ladies" will state something. Ten years from now those mansions might be owned by the people and the CEOs and their families will be eating out of garbage cans :-)

"A busload of activists representing average Americans... "

This is aweful journalism JT. The Associated Press knows full well that these are not 'average Americans'. They are ACORN activists. If they actually did any reporting, they would likely find some of Obama's old buddies behind this PR stunt.

The protests rightly should be against Congress for throwing public money at a failing private business. That is what is really outrageous. Take a minute to consider the $165 million given in bonuses to the few to the $182.5 billion (with a 'B') in bailouts taken from all taxpaying American's (now and in the future). President Obama and the Dem's in Congress are a bunch of amateurs at governing.

The officials that this fine group of harpies has decided to protest, and I use that word lightly, have no more stake in AIG than anyone else now. The U.S government controls roughly 80% of the company so the responsibility falls on Timothy Geitner, a man who has no actual plan for the economy (despite, you know, that being his job). The only thing you can blame these people is for working at the wrong place at the wrong time.

If you want to protest something haul your bus loads of angry old ladies to capitol hill. Congress gave the money away, congress amended the bill that guaranteed the bonuses, and congress controls AIG. As it stands these people are protesting how unfair the world is and how they should be tended to by those with larger pocket books, nothing but parasites.

"AIG officials' lavish homes"

"now is about 80% government-owned"

This is ridiculous. The government shouldn't be in the insurance business, much less paying for lavish homes.

Since our last bloody bout that resorted in the unions being legalized (yes, there was a time when they were illegal), laws against child labor being enforced, and an 8 hour work day (used to be a MUCH longer workday in case you did not guess), we are overdue for such warfare

likeitis: if you want to see some really greddy "robber barons" then look no further at the heads of some of the unions in America. Especially focus on the education unions that have a strangle hold on the American education system. If you go to many states, you will see that the classroom teachers union offices are more plush than the working conditions of the teachers that they represent, and heaven forbid if you do not have the same political leanings as your union. Your union dues are going to an organzation that funnels money to politicians without your consent.

So the AIG guys made money. I am sure if you pulled the strings, you will see that most of the executives had probably been working there prior to all of the crisis that the company is in now, and I imagine that if they are at the top of AIG, they have been good at what they do for a long time and probably have worked for severaly corporations over the years, and have made generous salaries and bonuses so that they can afford to live there.

If the public is really in an outcry, what the government should do is look at the books, see who was doing wrong, and if there is enough evidence to show that a crime was committed then hold the responsible party accountalbe. But, I suspect that just like in the Madhoff case, this will go by quietly. Because just like with Bernie, if he would have taken the trial route, then through the use of evidence it would probably show that many in the SEC and other government organzations knew what was going on, and that was just a quick way to keep a lid on things. I suspect that the same could be said about AIG. If they really looked, they would see themselves (i.e. the government) in the mirror as allowing AIG to get away with what it has done.

While we're on this witch hunt of AIG maybe we ought to look theough the eyes of Main Street. (First let's understand I don't want anybody stalked or branded or beaten or even bothered, but...) We're looking at Americans who have lost their jobs. Americans who have seen pay cuts of 10% to 25% along with the increase of health, life, auto .... insurances; then we see an insurance GIANT who was receiving $100K to $4.6Million in retension and performance bonuses.

There's another $55Million that was paid that we haven't even touched debate about yet.

GM and Chrysler get bail outs and the Unions have to restructure pay scales and reduce income from the top down. But weary Americans are seeing mega-millions in bonuses paid out to AIG and other. They don't see pay cuts and caps put other businesses that need to be saved.

AIG and the likes just don't get it. When everybody else is biting the bullet, they need to start biting the bullet also. < :-)

Wolfpack said:

The Associated Press knows full well that these are not 'average Americans'. They are ACORN activists.

Have you no regard for the truth? Not only what you stated was not true but your smear tactics may in fact be defamation.

Alphaape, I did not mean to imply that all unions are perfect, or even good. But surely workers should have a right to make unions, and we are better off having them checking the companies that used to literally kill us.

My point was simply that the rich and the power hunger have a tendency to screw people over, particularly if left unchecked. They do not need to be in the government. They don't need to be at the top of corporations. Yes, they can also be part of unions. And yes, those people need to have some fear put into them as well.

and have made generous salaries and bonuses so that they can afford to live there.

My point was that they can probably afford to not take our money. Some people seem to think its ok since the money was stolen cleverly. Uh, NOT!

If the public is really in an outcry, what the government should do is look at the books, see who was doing wrong, and if there is enough evidence to show that a crime was committed then hold the responsible party accountalbe.

There is no crime, as in a violation of laws. What we have is a gross violation of trust and principle, and it is a crime in another sense. And those things are EXTREMELY important. Laws cannot possibly begin to account for everything. And we cannot ever make them fast enough to account for a complete loss of trust and rampant violation of principles. Just because they have not violated the word of law DOES NOT mean they are correct or innocent.

Only some of these people may be guilty. Surely many others elsewhere are also. I would love to track down each one and make them walk on hot coals. But its not going to happen. Things like this might be the best we can accomplish. But, believe me, I do hope that a group comes along that will mete out justice with far more accuracy and far broader scope and highly appropriate punishments. Until then, I approve of non-violent fear tactics like this.

Have you no regard for the truth?

I would say no. I would also say that such completely outrageous lies should be removed from this board and should probably also be grounds for termination of membership.

A busload of activists representing average Americans paid visits Saturday to the lavish homes of American International Group executives to protest the tens of millions of dollars in bonuses

That one is just too good to pass up. So you do a little research and you find the media again playing its partisan games:

ACORN, Obama's professional army of rabble rousers and thugs, staged this protest.

More media present than actual protesters.

Shame?

They have none.

http://wilton-aig-protest.com/

teleprompter the below links don't mention ACORN at all. I question the validity of your link. That being said, whether it be 40 or 400, these were Americans expessing their displeasure with the whole AIG bonus situation. One of the protest was to actually give the AIG executive a letter of thanks from the American people for giving the money back.

Whether it be ACORN members or even a third party standing up and expressing their displease about AIG. It's proper. These Americans and you are loaning AIG, banks and other financial institutions money and we own 80% of AIG. Don't these owners of AIG need some way of expressing their displeasuree? And when they do, some people are supportive and some not supportive. That's nature.

Now I ask you, was it and orderly protest? Were there any arrest for anything? Then these Americans did their protest and went home?

God bless America. < :-)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hVlprzAfltspI45QNPTOkILNw09Q

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090322/ap_on_re_us/aig_bonuses

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/21/activists-protest-bonuses_n_177669.html

Take a minute to consider the $165 million given in bonuses to the few to the $182.5 billion (with a 'B') in bailouts taken from all taxpaying American's (now and in the future). President Obama and the Dem's in Congress are a bunch of amateurs at governing.

Forgive me if I am wrong but was it in not Bush, the Dem's and most of the Republicans in congress that started giving AIG the taxpayers money?

People protesting AIG officials, people having "Tea party" protests and the question is, does either the far right or the far left in America(and the rest of the world) ever plan on doing anything constructive and actually work out solutions? Perhaps it is easier to blame each other, protest and act like children.

So did this little ACORN protest/media confab eventually make its way to the Democrat senator's palatial Connecticut mansion to actually protest against AIG and corporate malfeasance, or did it all wind down with the brave "liberals" parading their consciences to the nearest Starbucks for the usual orgy of self-congrats?

Christopher Dodd (D-Conn) was one of AIG's favored recipients for campaign donations.

But of course it doesn't end there. Dodd's a Democrat. So you know someone in the family is also on the gravy train or in on the shell game they play with your money.

His wife Jackie was a director of an AIG Bermuda-based company.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/03/dodds_wife_a_former_director_o.html