In all the fuss surrounding the large bonuses AIG executives are receiving, following bail out after bail out from U.S. taxpayers, this article from Townhall.com points out one crucial point of information getting lost in all of the rhetoric, “The bonuses were paid under legal contracts, part of a program that had been disclosed in advance filings that American International Group Inc. made with the government.”
Despite how any of us feel about these generous payouts, what dangerous repercussions for our country if we allow the government to void lawful contracts they deem inappropriate for whatever reason. While going forward, the federal government may find it appropriate to create strings to the money they seem to be doling out without abandon; they have no right to interfere in this contractual relationship between employer and employee. Despite the disgust many taxpayers are feeling towards this particular situation, allowing the government interference into this basic tenet of the American legal system could have devastating consequences in the future.