Tie pay, perks to CEO performance

The cap on bonuses for CEOs who are begging for money to stay afloat because they have mismanaged their jobs to the point of bankruptcy - is that supposed to make the taxpayers feel that something is being done to help the average citizen? It is one more indication that the government is so far removed from reality that there seems to be little hope that recovery is possible. Bonuses used to be given because a company was making a profit, and those receiving bonuses contributed to the success of the business. What sense does it make to give bonuses to those who have had to go begging for financial aid to keep the economy from crashing? Why are they entitled to anything above their already inflated salaries, the perks of travel, wining and dining, etc. and the stock they have acquired? Not only do they not deserve the bonuses, but they should forfeit all but a basic salary if they cannot manage a company without asking far a handout.

The basic yearly salary for a large company CEO is already more than most people make in a lifetime. What private citizen has gotten help to keep their home, feed their family, or pay for insurance and medical coverage because they have lost their job through no fault of their own? Why is assisting the already wealthy more important than providing the basic needs for the average citizen? Are people who have had salaries frozen, hours cut, or have been out of work supposed to be grateful that fat cats can still collect hundreds of thousands in bonuses? Let's get back to basics: pay based on performance and profit may have helped prevent the mess we are in now, it certainly would be a better solution than the greed and corruption so prevalent in the current environment.

Peggy Burzinski

Arlington Heights