Sunday, February 01, 2009

CNBC's Burnett Says Bankers' Bonuses Aren't the Issue

CNBC's Erin Burnett says on Meet the Press that Americans are just ignorant. She says we don't realize that bonuses are the way that bankers get paid. What a bunch of bull.
Burnett says buying planes and bonuses are not the issue.
I'm sorry, but it IS the issue. The issue is greed. It's why we got into this mess -- banks throwing all discipline out the window and lending money to iffy customers to make a quick buck. Like Claire McCaskill said the other day, bankers giving out bonuses are idiots. McCaskill called for a $400,000 cap on pay for executives who are taking bailout money.
Yes, we need to have a banking system and I think most Americans realize that. But if banks are collecting taxpayer money because they ran their companies into the ground, salary caps must be put in place. If that means they have to sell a house or two so be it.
Burnett's comments are during the roundtable in the second half hour.