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The Huge Bonus of AIG
AIG的巨額獎金
Anger was the common reaction of Americans this week to bonuses paid at rescued financial companies. Lawmakers held hearings and President Barack Obama denounced the extra pay at American International Group. The huge insurance company nearly collapsed last September.
美國民眾對接受救援的金融公司本周（2009年3月第三個星期）發放紅利一事都感到很憤怒。立法部門舉行了聽證會，總統奧巴馬也對美國國際集團額外支付紅利進行了譴責。該巨額保險公司在去年(2008年)9月瀕臨崩潰。
A.I.G. chief Edward Liddy waits to speak to lawmakers on 18th. Code Pink protesters demonstrate behind.
A.I.G.總裁愛德華利迪等待3月18日對立法部門進行說明。粉色代碼示威者已經開始進行游行。
Since then，it has received more than one hundred seventy billion dollars in government aid. Taxpayers now own about eighty percent of the company. Billions loaned to A.I.G. have gone to pay debts owed to Goldman Sachs and other American and foreign banks.
自那時起，該公司已收到超過1700億美元的政府援助。納稅人現在擁有該公司大約百分之八十的股份。數十億借給A.I.G.的援助金被用來支付所欠高盛和其他美國銀行和外資銀行的債務。
The bonuses were retention payments—a way to keep good employees. Yet some who got them at A.I.G. have already left.
獎金被延緩發放——這是留住優秀員工的一種方法。盡管很多拿到獎金的員工已經離開了AIG。
On 18th, A.I.G.’s new chief, Edward Liddy, told Congress that he has asked employees to return at least half of bonuses of one hundred thousand dollars or more. Some, he said, have already done
星期三(2009年3月18日），AIG的新任總裁，愛德華·利迪，在國會上聲稱他已經要求員工退還至少5萬美金的獎金。并表示，有些獎金已經退回。
Even some critics agreed that A.I.G. had to honor contracts. But Thursday, the House of Rep-resentatives voted to place a ninety percent tax on those bonuses at A.I.G. and at other companies getting large bailouts. Yet such a measure could violate the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.
甚至一些批評家也認為AIG必須履行契約。3月19日（星期四），眾議院投票表決對AIG公司或其他獲得巨額援助的企業發放的這部分獎勵將征收90%的稅金。但是該行為將會違反憲法中依法保障平等的規定。
Earlier in the week, the president directed Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to look for ways to block the bonuses. But there were questions about why new restrictions on companies had excluded contracts dated before February eleventh, including those at A.I.G.
本周早些時候，總統指示財政部長蒂姆·蓋特納尋找禁止發放獎金的方法。但是問題在于為什么對公司的新禁令排除了2月11日之前的一些合同，其中也包括AIG的合同。
Opinion polls show that more than half of Americans oppose more aid for the financial industry. Some observers said it was easy for politicians to attack big bonuses. Much harder, of course, is changing a system that let companies take the risks that led to the current financial crisis.
民意調查顯示有超過一半的美國民眾反對給金融產業發放援助。一些觀察家認為政府官員對獲取巨大的紅利的目標進行評擊，但比較困難的是改變讓企業承擔風險的體制。這一體制導致了目前的金融危機。
The Federal Reserve this week announced a new trillion-dollar plan to fight the recession. The aim is to help lower interest rates on housing and other loans and improve credit conditions.
美國聯邦儲備委員會本周宣布了一項新的萬億美元的計劃，以對抗經濟衰退。這樣做的目的是幫助降低房地產利率和其他貸款利率改善信貸狀況。
The central bank said it would buy up to an additional seven hundred fifty billion dollars in mortgage-related securities. The Fed will also buy up to three hundred billion dollars of longterm Treasury bonds. The Fed has not tried to influence long-term rates this way since the nineteen sixties.
中央銀行表示他們將會買進另外7500億美元的抵押貸款相關的證券。美聯儲也將買進3000億美元的長期財政債券。自19世紀60年代以來，他們從未嘗試通過此種方法影響長期利率。
On March 16，2009，New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo sent a letter to A.I.G, demanding “the list of individuals who are to receive payments” and “a description of each individu-al，s job description and performance at A.I.G. Financial Products” in order to determine “whether any of the individuals receiving such payments were involved in the conduct that led to AIG，s demise and subsequent bailout”.
2009年3月16日，紐約州首席檢察官安德魯·科莫給AIG寄了一封信，要求他們提供“獲得獎金的人員名單”和“每個人的職位描述及在AIG的表現情況”以便決定“獲得獎金中的人中是否有人與導致AIG破產和最終接受援助有關”。
