Who Gave Away Taxpayer Money for Bankers' Bonuses?

[ncwdane]

The bail outs should go from the bottom up !

Not the top down, going from the top down enslaves us w/ our own money

Paying interest on money we have to pay back in taxes to decrease the debt too, is slavery, if the money bail-out went from the bottom, by say geiving everyone 3 or 4 months rent/mortgage payments, helos the people & it helps the banks too, by them not having so many defaults, people w/ a 3 month relief can apply that to credit cards too, from the Bottom up not down !!!

[TheSkunkCat]

You can't fix capitalism, it's not a good system.

If you think their interests (which is ALWAYS and WILL always be to make as much profit as possible in the next three months) will EVER align with yours you're to naive to live.

And with only rich people having a real shot at office, no wonder society tends to gradually become the rich stuffing their pockets with everyone elses money. That's how the gap widens. The fox is guarding the henhouse really. And that's how it goes with capitalism.

[TheSkunkCat]

@TheSkunkCat

What would be much better then capitalism is to simply democratize the economy. Basically expand democratic rights and let people collectively run the economy, not corporation heads.

Not that you'll ever get Americans to do it mind you. They'd rather let their country tank under the plutocrats then take a real critical look at capitalism.

It's also why I'm not impressed by most 'rationalists', they only take a critical look at things like religion, but rarely at our society.

[monur73]

If you want to change this cycle of Greed - Sign up!

Confiscate Bank Bonuses - Facebook page

[tamaria6564]

Maybe we should bring up all our kids to be bankers and not mindless morons who bitch about success and stuff their face with burgers and cretinous console games

[jezza1789]

Thats not Capitalism moron, giving money to the rich using tax payers money is corporatetism in a free market capitalist nation those banks wouldnt have existed because they failed.

[AnarchyAhead]

We need a lot more of people like this to keep pressure on this issue, Bankers cannot be let of the hook... it's so wrong and it cannot be accepted. Their continuing greed is going to cause anarchy and I know where I stand.... We do NOT have to accept it

[0307mark]

The unacceptable faces of Capitalism. The perfect argument for Marxism.

[Truegeeza]

The time is coming nearer when there will be a big fight breaking out soon, that will be between large institutions and governments and i mean big! Its only a matter of when and where

[TheDutchap]

The Vicious uuuhh I mean Vicious circle

Bankers wants big bonuses

Big bonuses means lots of money

Lots of money makes people greedy

Greediness makes people shameless

Shameless people are bad

Bad people become bankers

Why do American people keep relations with that kind of banks?

[DonDahab]

and ultimately these dirtbags get that money from the taxpayer/consumer...take your power back...take down the elite/ruling class

[Silberdachs]

Lets put banker bonuses into real perspective.

The US economy grew at a $89b annualized rate in Q2. That was the first growth since Q2 2008 and came to $22b in actual growth in Q3. The bankers, after causing the greatest economic calamity since the Great Depression, are rewarded with $140b, thats x6 the growth accomplished so far in the much heralded economic recovery.

Meanwhile, 7m families face foreclosure and 25m Americans cant find full time work.

[mikeybrumbrum]

In the UK, ther eis a WAR going on, over "banking bonuses".

The wages arent being mentioned, and can be adjusted to be MORE then the bonuses ever were, and politicians will be getting mroe pay then aver.

AAAARGH !

[matkay521225]

FK yeah!!! This guy is SOOOO right. FK the bankers!!! They don't give a FK about us, America, or anything else. They simply care about their own pockets. THEY STOLE FROM US, AND WE LET IT HAPPEN!!!

[Revoltingsheeple]

The banks are doing it, and no one in power's doing anything about it. However, we, the people, are the ones who are responsible for this happening, and it's up to us to stop it. Watch in wonder as we do nothing.

[robitsme]

In capitalism, profit comes first, people come second. So its no surprise that these greedy people have fleeced the public. The politicians are saying its shameful whats happened, but they are as bad. Self serving careerists. We dont need goverment, or finance houses. There must be another system where we can get rid of these paradites, and have people come first.

[Tainted0Pker]

Let me know when you find it, communism excluded.

[robitsme]

How about a system like Bolivias. The president who is an indigenous indian has kicked out the foreign corporations, made things like water, telephones, energy a human right and therefore not allowed to be private hands. His primary aim is to put people first. Its not a perfect system, but better than anything in the west

[Sinnuendo86]

there's no such system that would eliminate human greed.

[robitsme]

Greed comes from fear... With education from a young age, we as a species could learn to deal with fear. When I say education, I dont mean, how to do math, or write, or train for a specific skill, I mean education on how to be a decent human being

[Kawlinz]

It's not the fault of capitalism, it's the fault of a monopoly of force. These banks would fail if you were allowed to not give them money without being thrown in jail. Of course they're robbing you, the threat of violence is being used to make sure that you pay them. If you weren't forced to give them money, then there'd be no way that they could rob you.

[fsem10]

....can anyone tell me why the banks are nationalized yet, other then to keep the rich ceo's even richer, do they need to bankrupt before they are nationalized or does the rest of america have to bankrupt first

[franksnow79]

They're robbin' us blind again and again, we need punitive taxes on the Fortune 500.

[Swordsquire]

Y'know i think these guys are being handed a lot of rope to hang themselves with....

[ahmadeyad]

The Banks executives should be forced to commit Seppuku .

[Swordsquire]

No Seppuku, those bastards have NO honor. I'm thinkin' drawn & quartered.

[hcr321984]

Here we all sit, at our computers; outraged and yet pacified into inaction. All the while, the government and corporations squeeze out every second, of every day, working to fuck over the average person more, and more, and more. When will it end?

[nnamdi247]

Karl Rove needs to shut the fuck up. He was part of the problem yet he judges Obama's plans 2 months into his presidency. Wasn't he the fuck head who was harping about judging George Bush so quickly after 9/11? God damn hypocrite.

[Lesliegilda]

You need to thank Bush for not putting any regulations on the stimulous

[Vash1202]

lol burn

[plumbweis]

Thre again it is a lack of regulation. These company's like AIG,ect. should have to account for this money and there should be rules. These people especially at AIG don't get it! They just don't. They think there is a never ending pot of gold for them to blow.If there is not more oversight from the Obama administration I for one will be disappointed. Theses guys are robbing us blind! It's time to put an end to it and especially with co. like AIG. They need to sink or swim.

[Shisho2k]

Well if you think about it, there are people with good insight and can make good assessments that exceed beyond guess work or just what's expected by chance alone.

Then naturally that means there's someone who's completely opposite of them and completely wrong by being backwards in the very same matter undergoing analysis.

IE - If it's purely political you'll oppose your opponent because it's your opponents idea, all your reasons are then fabricated / arranged to solicit support.

[hypnofan35]

Are you saying these executives are "not well balanced social creatures"? i'll have to give that some thought! Hmm Yeah i think that could be so. What do you do? It is easy to be critical, but what do you do? They could pay off any justice system, because these people are super richtoids. They could get off scott free while retaining 95% of their money.

[nimitta1]

UnFNbelievable. There needs to be hearings and these assholes all need put in jail.

[DTMTroy]

i don't get why people aren't being more assertive. i'm canadian and if i found out people were taking my hard earned money to buy jets i'd be pissed and revolt. do under the table jobs it's the way to go.

[envanje]

as i already thought, real bankrobbers do not come with weapons, they are seated in the banks executive boards. no more money? no problem, let's rob the taxpayer.

[sunnyallthetime]

Did any one else here see that 60 Minutes segment tonight about Bernard Madoff? Sheesh.

As Louis Black said ~ "we should rise up as one to sleigh them."

[CERCARIA]

Ladies and Gentlemen,keep writing and calling your representatives in congress and the representatives on the banking committee's.Pay off the credit card monthly.

Use it up.Wear it out.Make it do or do without.

Tax money is one thing but you can use disposable income more wisely.And these guys are so hungry they want all of that too.

[gigedy]

please just give us a list of all their addresses. It's about time for this shit to end

[Dogmeat5000]

Tangental or not, shouldn't the US government be adding requirements to these handouts that say the companies getting them have to suppliment their own money by liquidating unnecessary assets like those jets? Maybe I'm missing a point here but it makes sense to me...

[Vash1202]

But then there would be accusations from the other side about seizing the goods of the wealthy, about being communist and whatnot.

If it was up to me, hell yeah, cut away those unnecessary stuff.

[Dogmeat5000]

Yeah, I can just picture them saying that. I'd argue that they're already engaging in socialist activities (which isn't communism like they say but still) with the bailouts in the first place, so it may as well be done right and treated like a kind of corporate bankruptcy. Which would also be kind of ironic since these banks have pulled the liquidation card on countless people who can't pay their loans, but they do everything in their power to get away when the shoe's on the other foot.

[sunnyallthetime]

OK, this might just be the vodak talking, but if it is truly true that the average Joe taxpayer is is footing the bill for this Wall Street bailout, and the exec bonuses, etc. Why has there been no mention, that I have heard of yet, of a TAX REVOLT???

Just wondering.

[crowdaddy13]

cuz it still hasnt got bad enough yet, when did all of our "revolts" happen? In the 30's

[kaduisaui]

I want some bailout money. I am not too greedy, I'll accept a million thanks bai

[Vash1202]

If they give me a million dollars I will pay off the mortgage, take charge of the cancer research, and work towards spreading the art of Jiu-Jitsu across the U.S., all things that promote well-being of the country.

Those bastards would just put the money into offshore accounts and we'll never see it again and they'll go "sorry, economy's bad that's why you won't see the money"

[bizso09]

Sure you will.... until you are given a million dollar IN FACT

[Vash1202]

Well, I am working towards those goals right now with my own money anyways. 1 million given to me won't hurt :P

[sunnyallthetime]

Doesn't it cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 AN HOUR to operate a private jet?

[peanutmaniac]

maybe he flies it himself. LOL

[stewart0312]

Was it any real suprise? Instead of Big Oil/Military Industrial Complex getting payback from of the GOP, Financial companies are getting payback from the Dems. This was the CHANGE Obama was talking.

[johnedwards1968]

It was Bush's plan numbnuts. The financial companies also got paid by the republicans.

[jimmydehawk]

It is pretty sad, but if you think about it from the bank's perspective it makes more sense than Cenk is suggesting. See, those bankers put that money into their bank accounts which becomes part of the banks reserves. Under current laws, banks need only keep 10% in reserve so in reality, 90% of that money actually becomes available for loans. The banks can't just keep a giant stockpile of money and loan it out, they need that money to exist within private accounts.

[Vash1202]

Yeah but I don't get the impression that the company will ever get that money back again from those private accounts.

I get the feeling that once that money is in those accounts, it's long gone and then they'll ask for federal money.

[tomme1981]

For the last ten years we have heard private sector workers, especially bankers, say how the public sector could be far better managed by private sector managers,

Well now we know; the private sector boom was built on borrowed money that could never be paid back. Thank God these imbeciles were never let loose on the public sector.

[Vash1202]

Yeah, they did all this crap to make themselves seem as if they were working and then they just took as much money for themselves as possible so they could go to the shareholders and go "oops, sorry we made bad investments you lose all your money, bye bye"

[swyft187]

suckers

[stanjz]

cut up your credit cards and put your money in a credit union. institutional investors are holding our government hostage. i guess we keep paying them and maybe they'll put their trillions back in the market. not that the market translates into expansion for businesses, it doesn't.

[Roger11733]

"Don't BANK on it !!!"

[KosmicCitizen]

Good points. These guys have got to go.

[MaskedAssailant08]

wow, the way our government gives away money, its practically welfare

[sonyavsystem]

Had enough of Jewish Bankers?

Revolution. And no Dr Paul... a real one...

[Atheistprimate]

Our fucking government needs to stop giving away our money.

[prideventures]

.....but the auto workers make too much money?.......Dylan said it well "times are a changing"......the individual worker is considered a variable expense by companies and not an asset......so is it no wonder that there is conflict between what a standard working person, and management interests are? These guys make money from schemes using other people's money, and the Republicans defend them by saying they take the risk, but there is no risk to them, they get paid up front.......

[justinswany]

It's like all the benzos I've seen at the food bank.

[MicroTex23]

nothing suprises me anymore...this decade will be known as the decade of corporate greed, individuals who rape the very country they surposedly love of everything.

[MikeNobodyIsBack]

Kinda like the 80's....or every other decade "conservatives" have been in charge.

[l0gically]

Who's signature is on the checks? Who ever it is should be criminally charged.

I guess what these guys were essentially telling Congress is that competence isn't one of their stronger points. And yet they're still employed.

[MarkOates]

TYT is the Internet's news channel. Cenk's voice is ideologically aligned with the demographic of internet users.

Go Cenk!! :D

[Colombianqtric]

i agree, cant live without any updates to what goes on in our world today.. specially from TYT eyes!

GO TYT!

[slapme7times]

the american people are so stupid.

[gyneve]

Stupid, no. Missinformed, definitely. The news and politicos get their information directly from the corporate mouthpiece, and most people never bother to dig any deeper.

[slapme7times]

because they're stupid.

I knew 911 was an inside job the day it happened, back when i was 13 years old.

my parents are actually dumb enough to believe this war propaganda bullshit >=)

These people are stupid, not uninformed >=)

[fondue72]

Remember the day when they decided to up the FDIC limit? People were literally yanking their money out of the banks.

WE ALL NEED TO DO THIS

[seamoremonster]

Charge these low life sonsofbitches with Larceny.

[nasanction]

We are not the fools. The politicians are! We spoke out against the bailouts in the first place! Did they listen? Yea, for about 3 days. Then they just did what they wanted. I wash my hands of the financial system and the government...

[Gruntol5]

The USA harbors the most corrupt and greedy people on earth. It's rampant in big companies, finance, Wall St., real estate co's, insurance and in politics. The normal working person is regarded as a sheep to be raised and continuously fleeced throughout it's life. Things MUST change, or there will be a revolution. Bring it on!

[sunnyallthetime]

THIS.

[Gruntol5]

sunnyallthetime: Your comment is "THIS." This what? Hello - anyone in there?

[sunnyallthetime]

"This" means that the comment that "this" is in response to is thought to be a the best comment in a thread.

[SomethingAwfulYT]

kill them all! lynch these evil corrupt fucks! FUCK THEM FOR FUCKING AMERICANS!

[CaligalinLibrary]

It's time to kick those guys in the nuts!

[316ak]

I honestly think this is robbery,,,

Think about it... Cenk just said they had over a million dollars in bonuses for doing what exactly...?

Get this people and arrest them for being idiots. Lucky for us here in Canada, our banks are regulated and we have not had problem ever.

America should regulate the banks for at least 10 years to get the situation back in order. And whoever is republican and want to pay CEOs of these companies more... You guys are freaking morons

[naughtygirlga]

This shit is ridiculous. Repo all they property, freeze bank accounts, even take the kids trust funds. DAMN!!

[TokenTombstone]

where is my economic stimulus check? :(

[gargantuen666]

don't worry just trust them. hahahaha

[loci1400]

The CEO of Merryll Lynch should be arrested and tried for defrauding the government. The bonus money should be recouped at all cost even if it means seizing all personal property of those who received this money. There are hundreds of billions of dollars in the bond market waiting to get back into the markets but they wont move an inch until this shit stops and this recession will drag on and on. Time to hand out some 40 year sentences.

[econchick]

im tired of this bullshit

[xenafan33]

Why can't they make them pay it back? Out of their own pocket and make them pay back even more..

[funnymanfromjapan]

yeah, that is what they make us do.

[Blacksoljah]

I like your vids. I dont watch news (most teens dont) but since watching your vids I been more aware of whats been happening.

[econchick]

same here

[dietsnapple89]

I got hope America will get better. Obama said the crisis would get worse before it got better, so I think it will get better or we will atleast see signs that the economy is getting better.

No I'm not an Obama sheep! I just got hope...

[cheddyrod]

I am sure Tim Geithner was in favor of giving those bonuses.

[BubbaGanoush2]

Cenk, you preach common sense with a blend of intelligence, moral outrage and tempered exasperation that few can match. I have enjoyed you on here, as well as your articles on HuffPo. Keep up the great work!

[menthol5]

F*** those bastards up . . .

[sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

Cenk, please run for office. Somebody sane / not a piece of garbage needs to lead us.

[menthol5]

strip a couple execs naked and give a crowd of people that have lost their homes rocks and let the party begin. Televise it. Get those bastards

[DrakeMagnum]

immoral bastards

When you're that rich, I think you actually go a little insane. It is like gambling addiction.

[fonna]

I like this guy.

He so blunt, no bells, no whistles.

Tells it like it really is.

I knew I subscribed for a reason.

[boiiinng]

I think it's time for a REAL Project Mayhem.

[UcanbeGOD]

Smirking revenge.

[ndyt]

i cant listen to this stuff any more. makes me puke *gag*

[Phoenixyuu]

I am sure those bonuses were taxed

[BobDobbs404]

no bailout.. no brokers.. no bonuses.. simply put

[aksmit01]

I love this program. I feel like Cenk reports to better the world and inform the people without a hidden agenda. I really hope he gets the spot on MSNBC!

[thermalfreek]

The solution is we build a series of guillotins outside of each bank, every week we cut of the head of a banker until they start making the economy move again! Now that´s motivation!!!

[imtang0708]

I say " duct tape them to a utility pole and slowly slaughter them with a staple gun"!!!!! I personally would enjoy that!

[ben3580]

you make me sick

[imtang0708]

Bankers make me sick! I now have to pay off HUNDREDS OS BILLIONS of dollars that those douche bags spent on faggy pedicures and strippers! I would gladly LOVE TO SHOW THEM MY GRATITUDE!!!!!!

[BobDobbs404]

Not strippers.. prostitutes for $2000/hr

[sahandsesoot]

wtf, even angelina julli is not 2000/hr :))

[ben3580]

guys! I was kidding!!

[LiSyaoran3063]

Bankers are the scum of the world =/

[morgantsangari]

You guys make me love the internet!

[madhi19]

It basically looting.

[ambientdiscord]

we are slaves to the bank because of our debt based economy. the whole banking system and the federal reserve needs to be killed.

[WKaliber1]

La Maison en Petit Cubes

[deannyman]

'ji'lkp'ok]po

[deannyman]

lol.