CEO compensation caps and co-cousnel for the Treasury Secretary: yes or no?

“Compensation” is a nominal payment in exchange for services rendered. What banking firm execs are getting is more along the lines of “staggering, outrageous, opulence-enabling salaries.”

Besides the fact that I’m a total socialist, I believe that these individuals, whose hands are drenched with the blood of millions of botched mortgages, deserve considerably less than what they were previously paid, especially since the people whose houses were foreclosed upon are paying those salaries via taxes. Cap away!

Also, I think that putting one person in control of upwards of a trillion dollars is utterly ridiculous, especially considering his background and close ties to investment banking. I really think that a committee of at least 5 is more sensible.

I think someone did flat out ask him how long he’d been CEO of Goldman Sachs at the hearing yesterday.

I’m going to go with the first part of the question.
I think that when Congress balked at their first drastic plan, the President and his team realized they would have to make some changes.

He said last night that there should be some limitations on CEO compensation:

Any rescue plan should also be designed to ensure that taxpayers are protected. It should welcome the participation of financial institutions, large and small. It should make certain that failed executives do not receive a windfall from your tax dollars.

@EP It does sound kind of scary to have one person in charge. Although I doubt it would be him in a closed room w/ a pile of paper checking “yes” and “no” all by himself. To argue against a committee…..it also scares me that large groups (e.g. Congress) have a difficult time making any decision of any kind. Something needs to be done. A committee to me = slow and nothing getting done.

In short, I am not sure where I stand either, but I can see downsides to both ways….

(@tonedef – love the tufted tit mouse!)

@fireside: Oh, I see, I see. I was outvoted last night on catching the speech.
We played Rock Band instead. (Then the pedal broke—that’ll show them!)

@empress – I went out to a jazz show instead of watching, but Fluther caught me up on it late last night

We had a company here where the heads gave themselves bonuses as the company went under. The workers worked for a month with the understanding that they were saving the company and would be paid back pay. They showed up to locked doors. The heads of that company went to open other companies and took their money, untouched, with them. The workers lost everything.

That, is wrong.

Yes to caps, and yes to co-counsel.