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From: TXPIRG (U.S. PIRG)
It's despicable, but it really happened.
Just one week after taxpayers bailed out insurance giant AIG with $85 billion, the company blew nearly half a million dollars at the swanky St. Regis golf resort.
They spent $23,000 at the spa, $150,000 on meals and wine, and even treated their dogs to the $545/night "Pamper Your Pooch" package.
Congress and the Bush administration are handing out billions in taxpayer money to banks and corporations like AIG without adequate safeguards against abuse. In fact, just yesterday they decided to give the company another $37.8 billion! [1]
Now, more than ever, we need vigilance and oversight, and we need our leaders to make responsible decisions that protect taxpayers.
That's why we need U.S. PIRG (our national federation) on Capitol Hill, watch-dogging the execution of this so-called rescue plan.
https://www.texpirg.org/
Instead of walking around the golf course, Ed Mierzwinski and John Krieger (my go-to guys on our Wall Street Oversight campaign) were meeting with our representatives on Capitol Hill trying to improve the bailout so it works better for all of us, not just the fat cats (and their pampered pooches).
We're going to convene a major summit of economists and reformists to write an economic policy that puts permanent checks and balances on our financial system to be passed in the first 100 days of the next Congress.
We've also proposed a government chartered consumer watchdog organization to counter the power of the financial services industry.
We know that we got to this point because the most powerful and entrenched special interests have manipulated the rules and re-written the laws. They will do everything in their power to take our money and run without the systematic reform that is needed. I promise you that we are not going to let that happen.
But to do all that, we need additional support from folks like you.
https://www.texpirg.org/
Having our advocates on Capitol Hill doesn't cost you $545/night, but it does take some funding. And unlike the corporate lobbyists, we get our money a little at a time, from a whole lot of regular people.
Thanks in advance for making a contribution, and I look forward to reporting to you with a victory on this campaign.
Sincerely,
Joe Rupp
TexPIRG Citizen Outreach Director
JoeR@texpirg.org
http://www.TexPIRG.org
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/
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