Tuesday, March 17, 2009

What's Gangsta?

You hear all this talk about how "gangsta" rappers are. But let me tell you what's really gangsta:

- Gathering so large a foothold in the US Economy that you can convince the American government that your if your business fails, the US fails. That would be the Notorious AIG.

- Asking the US government for 85 Billion dollars for just your company. Then ask for about 40 billion more. Then spend out 90 billion of that with no real results. Meanwhile, throw a party out West. Then ask for (and get) 30 billion more this quarter, no questions asked. That's gangsta.

- Losing 61.7 BILLION DOLLARS (!) over the last three months of 2008, and kicking back 165 million in retention bonus money to over 60 of your boys in the company, prompting Republican Senator Chuck D, er, Grassley to say "Kill Yo'self!"

When asked, tell the government you did it so they won't leave the company. Then let it leak that you gave some of that retention bonus to 11 folks who already left. That's Gangsta.

Acting ignorant (or being punked) by a broke company who seeks to get more money after all this. Not gangsta.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This was a good one.

Anonymous said...

so what do you think about the car giants....part of me says sink or swim.....

Charles J said...

I agree Anon. I think the car companies technologies would survive if the government told them "sorry, but we ain't got the money."

Thing is, the cars are still in high demand and the foreign car companies will not be able to fill in the demand. What will probably happen is that they will be absorbed by more finally sound operations. The brands we know and love will just go under different leadership.