Maybe I'm suffering from a genuine bout of bailout burnout. Or outrage exhaustion. Or maybe I've just got too much real, day-to-day stuff vying for my attention to keep getting worked up into a frenzy every time the media "breaks news" about AIG, Citigroup or whoever else we own now. I've long since lost track.

For starters, there's enough blame to go around now that there's no one blameless enough left to point a finger. Did the banks and insurers screw up? Sure. But so did over-extended home buyers and credit card borrowers. And the feds? The regulators had clearly fallen asleep at the wheel while the politicians poured bubbly in the back of the limo. (I think the only reason they're so mad is because the party ended and no one announced last call.)

Jokes aside, let's keep in mind that all this sound and fury (signifying very little) from Capitol Hill comes from the enablers themselves. It's not unlike throwing a happy hour, picking up the tab, then confronting the guest of honor about his boozing ways after the ride home. I can't be the only one who thinks we prolonged this entire "crisis" (and subsequent rebound) by propping these up these faltering financial giants. We should just rip off the rest of the scab, mop up the pus and let the healing begin.

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On last thing about AIG. I heard the radio voices berating the insurance giant on the way to the office this morning and couldn't help but recall a similar uproar following the "corporate retreat" scandal a couple of months back. These bonuses are not unlike any other performance-based incentives the majority of companies employ. Sure, it's a PR mess, but at its heart, there's nothing illegal or even immoral about it. You're telling me the feds forked over $70 billion of our money without reading the fine print? Talk about buyer beware.

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