Is there really any need to say anything more about you corporations that got those big handouts from the government (well, they DO seem big to taxpayers) and then paid those immense bonuses to your rainmakers? Apparently, there is.
Well, corpo-guys, it's probably not your fault. Your Uncle George spoiled you terribly over the past eight years, giving you everything you asked for and then some, so you got used to Fairy Tale Land. Here's a quick little primer to help you readjust to the real world.
Lesson 1: Personally, I'm not one of those people who think the government should get too far into telling you how to run the business...but there are plenty who do, so it would be smart to avoid giving them motivation to do so.
Lesson 2: Don't try to claim that you don't use "taxpayer dollars" for the bonuses and the airplanes. People aren't that stupid - they know money is fungible - and if you don't, then you ought not to be getting even a salary, let alone a bonus.
Lesson 3: In the real world, people still have the quaint notion that a bonus or incentive is paid for actually achieving something. It's silly, I know, but there you are. Oh, and it's supposed to be something positive, so that thing your top management team did this year -- where they took needless risks, failed to see developing trends, and bankrupted your company -- that really doesn't count, I'm afraid (go figure!). So maybe just this once, skip those bonuses. You'll have to find some other time, some other way to keep those valuable high-performers - and a way to explain to the outside world why you would want to.
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