I've negotiated hotel rates for meetings like this and believe me, they are negotiable -but one must think like a business man...budget subject to I R S review. The mind set of these corporate bandits needs retraining . put a business man in office to control items like this - but the henhouse has been raided, so its too late for the chickens...but can we save the cows? the rabbits? the other animals? maybe even us?

Is there a way to sue the government to regulate the spending of this companies? Hey wait.. Bush spent 1,000,000 dollars on his re-election party...never mind...

Okay. I'm glad Rep. Cummings discovered this executive psychopathic behavior and ruse on the American taxpayers. Soooo, what did this Rep. Cummings do about it? What sanctions or punishment will these creeps receive? Merely pointing this out isn't enough.

Where's Charles Bronson when we need him????

One way to voice our outrage at this type of behavior is a good ol' American concept called boycotting. Don't buy their products and unload the ones you have.

Go to their website. Click on Contact Us. Click on General Feedback. Tell them how you feel. It may be David against Goliath, but it made me feel better.

The recipients of this getaway were actually American General sales employees that won a contest not high paid executives. If someone earns a trip as a reward for a good job, one would expect that to be honored. No, I don't think that the executives that brought this about should be rewarded but the people on the ground in the company ranks are going to be affected by this more than you or I.

Hey AIG,
What a pathetic move on your part. A Pedicure? How ridiculous can this go? Like Obama said, "You should pay back the money and get FIRED."

I want my part of the bail out money used to put those AIG jerkweeds in jail - where they deserve to be!

Perp Walk? Before the election we want to see them "Cuffed and Stuffed" or send them to Chicago. We still have a few officers who know how to do a tuneup.

In regards to Ehren's comments: Did you take the time to consider that it was your money they used to finance this excursion? I'm just saying if the worth of your time, to earn a dollar holds no meaning to you then please throw your money at me if you prefer to throw it away. Why would you reward a person, any person who is represenative of this company? What would you say to them "Congratulations! You're work at selling ungrounded insurance policies has plunged us into an economic enviroment that is as stable as a one legged chair. And now that the American people have nothing safe to sit on, heres your pedicure." They're bankrupt, not just a little bankrupt, not 'oh money's tight but we can get by bankrupt' but we're bankrupt at all levels of our infrastructure bankrupt; $85 billion bankrupt need I say less. If someone recieves a reward for doing a good job, then finds out their company went bankrupt; i mean do you really expect to recieve that reward? i mean, some self evaluation must have gone on; how good of a job could they have done if their company is now BANKRUPT! What I'm trying to say is this effects everyone of us and when someone tries to take food out of my mouth you better believe i'll defend my liberties as a human being and as an American.

Is anyone surprised at this? Before our representatives get to excited about this they ought to take a look at the way they spend taxpayers money.

Ever check the attendance of our illustrious representatives? They hardly even show up? They are too busy doing the same crap they are blaming these AIG guys for

Now that the AIG people are "government workers" they are just acting accordingly.

ehren, their reward is they still have a job thanks to all of us. think about it.

I agree with Obama. We need to find out which exceutives at AIG approved the continuation of Business as usual and remove them from their positions immediately. As an 80% stakeholder in AIG, I expect my bailout money to be used in a more efficient manner to help the people of AIG keep their jobs, and the economy stable. This is a blantant misuse of our bailout efforts and if this is allowed to happen 1 week after the bailout and we know about it, what do you think will be happening 1 year from now?

I am not on the side of AIG but want the truth to stand out in the reporting rather than false information designed to make us insane. Also on the bailout or LOAN as what it really is. AIG is selling off it's subsidiaries to pay back the loan ASAP. Also, the loan has an interest rate of 11.5% which means that the fovernment stands to profit from this deal. AIG has currently used $61,000,000,000 in available funds which means that when paid off the interest will be $7,015,00,000.00.
I love you all!

The inmates are running the asylum and someone has to pay. Return the money to the taxpayers and fire the executives that orchestrated this. Be accountable or shut down AIG. Does anyone in government get it.

Great post Zac. Problem is, this is only the beginning. I am afraid we are going to hear these kinds of stories for years. At the end of the day, you me, and everyone who commented on your post is going to get screwed with our pants on.

Concerning the comment that it was just sales men at this junket, that is partly true. I don't know how it is now, but when I was with AG earlier in my career, I won that contest three years straight. Two trips were to Hawaii and one was to the Cayman Islands and yes, they were very extravagant. The contests were very difficult to win for the people in the field, but at every trip I went on there was an equal number of executives as there were salesman, and those executives didn't have to win anything. They got to attend these conferences as a matter of their positions. I just want to make sure this doesn't get spinned inaccuarately, and I am basing this assumption on first hand experience.

Concerning the comment that it was just sales men at this junket, that is partly true. I don't know how it is now, but when I was with AG earlier in my career, I won that contest three years straight. Two trips were to Hawaii and one was to the Cayman Islands and yes, they were very extravagant. The contests were very difficult to win for the people in the field, but at every trip I went on there was an equal number of executives as there were salesman, and those executives didn't have to win anything. They got to attend these conferences as a matter of their positions. I just want to make sure this doesn't get spinned inaccuarately, and I am basing this assumption on first hand experience.