Billionaire Claire Steps Off Her Private Jet to Attack CEOs
Mixed emotions here. I'm glad to see somebody talking boldly about CEO compensation, which has spun wildly out of control.
It just strikes me as odd that the messenger is our own billionaire Claire McCaskill, who is the 14th wealthiest member of an incredibly wealthy congress, and has a private jet at her beck and call so that she doesn't need to brush up against commoners at the airport.
Salary caps are a nice soundbite, and Claire is milking this one for all it's worth - probably more than it's worth, actually, given the multiple ways that Wall Street can funnel millions without resorting to salary lines.
Labels: hypocrisy, Senator McCaskill
posted by Dan at 1/31/2009 09:25:00 AM
15 Comments:
Point taken, but.....
In making her money (her husband's actually), she never asked for a government handout.
That is a huge difference.
Dan -
Your attempts to jab Senator McCaskill have gotten old. I understand the gameplan: insult McCaskill and hopefully cause a little controversy; let her supporters rise to her defense; and then Dan can comeback with some "thoughtful" critique of a few of McCaskill's votes (e.g., wiretapping). The goal, of course, is to draw attention and increase readership.
The act, however, has grown tired. Stop writing to create controversy; write to say something worth saying. That is what you used to do.
I love how congress can spend but has no idea where it goes.
Fair point, Craig, though I still think she is an inappropriate one to argue for sane CEO pay. On the other hand, I'm glad to hear anyone make the point, under any circumstances.
Anonymous - if you're tired of hearing Claire get criticized when she behaves poorly, I'd strongly suggest you go elsewhere. I'm pretty happy with my readership as it stands, and I don't need to knock a hypocritical blue dog to draw readership.
Are any members of KCMO City Council equally hypocritical?
I'm not sure I understand why wealthy people should not criticise wall street firms who use tax dollars to fund exec bonuses.
I think everybody has a license to criticise wall street firms for behaving in that manner.
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As a fellow Edwards supporter during the 2008 primary season, I'm baffled by your criticism here.
Good thing Dan is upholding the old tradition of the Democratic circular firing squad.
Billionaire? Better reread your link. Even Kerry can't top that one.
Then again, million, billion, trillion, who's counting these days.
Claire's jet is not burning taxpayer jetfuel. And -- as a person of substantial wealth -- she may be the best person to lecture those who are abusing this bailout. Just as JFK was in a good position to criticise the Big Steel cartel for raising their prices & causing an inflationalry jump. (God, I'm old!)
The missing element today is the other side of JFK's strategy: He was going to have Bobby start antitrust investigations. The stick, as it were.
How hard, really, would it be to demonstrate that these guys sorta forgot to let Uncle Sam know about how they were going to spend the money? Wire fraud, anyone? Conspiracy to commit same? A good prosecutor could have half those guys out of their $5000 Versace suits and into orange jumpsuits by St. Patrick's Day.
It might also have a salutory effect on the next CEO who thinks about taking a big bonus while sending his company down the crapper.
AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHH
It pains me to say this (OW,OW,OW).
But I agre 100% with Phil's last post.
Look a little deeper folks. Claire's money comes from her husband, and it comes from nursing homes and subsidized housing that benefits from tens of millions of dollars in Federal Funding. Take away the Federal Handouts and he's just like the rest of us, no mansion, no plane and no Claire. Hypocracy, pure and simple.
Blaine -
You butchered hypocrisy. Does correct spelling, grammer and punctuation matter to anyone? Our schools must be in trouble.
It is grammar, not "grammer." Get it right.
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