Give Me a Break - I Quit!

To NY Times Op-Ed writer:

Give me a break. You really don't understand how the mere mortals live, do you? I too didn't do anything wrong, have little debt except an underwater mortgage, and will be alright as long as Wall Street doesn't bring down the entire country. But so many others are not alright through no fault of their own. Most don't have the luxury of giving their employers the five finger salute. Many already had that done to them, and others are holding on by their fingernails to house, feed and clothe their families. In what other universe does a company that loses $60B in one quarter pay huge bonuses negotiated when it was clear the company was going down. Thanks to the U.S. taxpayers, which will be paying for this debacle for many years, AIG is still a company instead of a bankrupt shell and you still have your stocks and they may someday be worth something, unlike Lehmann employees. I'm glad you will still be able to get another job at another firm that will pay what you think you are worth. Perhaps one of those unemployed traders in the other firms that have collapsed or cut back can be hired to do your now vacant job.

Unfortunately, thanks to your company and others, many people can't even get a job that pays the rent, others pay their rent and still get evicted because the banks foreclosed on someone else. Other people, too, are working 12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week to pull us out of this mess and aren't getting paid $700K to do it. They seem to think its their duty to their country or their colleagues to do the right thing. Others are taking pay cuts so their colleagues won't get laid off. Others are losing their life savings in businesses they have poured their hearts and treasure into, only to have the bank call the credit line because of all the bad investment decisions their bank made.

I'm sure whatever charities you donate your "bonus" to will be able to put it to good use, since donations are down, while need has skyrocketed for social service agencies. However, I doubt you would be donating your bonus if scorn had not been heaped upon AIG. This isn't personal to you or me - its a terrible economic crisis that has lots of losers, most of whom had nothing to do with its cause. Life isn't fair - I can't cry crocodile tears that this unfairness caught up with you this one time. I don't think many others will either.