Comments on: Hard-Hearted Hanna http://rocketscientist.today.com/2009/03/20/hard-hearted-hanna/ Melding fiction and science in life and on paper Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:48:36 +0000 http://www.today.com/version-2.3.1 By: stephanieebarr http://rocketscientist.today.com/2009/03/20/hard-hearted-hanna/#comment-2812 stephanieebarr Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:37:10 +0000 http://rocketscientist.today.com/2009/03/20/hard-hearted-hanna/#comment-2812 Bob, that's what I'm saying. A bonus should be more than something for nothing and it belittles it to give out million dollar bonuses to reward spectacular failure. I'm with you, Davida. Bob, that’s what I’m saying. A bonus should be more than something for nothing and it belittles it to give out million dollar bonuses to reward spectacular failure.

I’m with you, Davida.

]]> By: attygnorris http://rocketscientist.today.com/2009/03/20/hard-hearted-hanna/#comment-2799 attygnorris Mon, 23 Mar 2009 05:13:36 +0000 http://rocketscientist.today.com/2009/03/20/hard-hearted-hanna/#comment-2799 I think it's just disgusting to see all that tax-payer bailout money going to greedy execs in bonuses after they took advantage of little to no regulation and tried to justify it while so many people are struggling to survive. Just disgusting. Davida I think it’s just disgusting to see all that tax-payer bailout money going to greedy execs in bonuses after they took advantage of little to no regulation and tried to justify it while so many people are struggling to survive. Just disgusting.

Davida

]]> By: shakespeare http://rocketscientist.today.com/2009/03/20/hard-hearted-hanna/#comment-2781 shakespeare Sun, 22 Mar 2009 11:34:12 +0000 http://rocketscientist.today.com/2009/03/20/hard-hearted-hanna/#comment-2781 I'm totally in agreement. Besides, bonuses are for great work. My husband put it in his own field, since he's a college administrator. If he does a crappy job, and his college gets in huge financial trouble and the state has to bail them out to keep them running, does he get a bonus? Nope, he gets fired. If those "brilliant" executives were actually brilliant, they wouldn't all be in this mess, and they wouldn't have put us into it, either. And they wouldn't have ACCEPTED the bonuses, because they would have been brilliant enough to know they'd done a piss-poor job of it. I’m totally in agreement. Besides, bonuses are for great work. My husband put it in his own field, since he’s a college administrator. If he does a crappy job, and his college gets in huge financial trouble and the state has to bail them out to keep them running, does he get a bonus?

Nope, he gets fired.

If those “brilliant” executives were actually brilliant, they wouldn’t all be in this mess, and they wouldn’t have put us into it, either. And they wouldn’t have ACCEPTED the bonuses, because they would have been brilliant enough to know they’d done a piss-poor job of it.

]]> By: oldwestmom http://rocketscientist.today.com/2009/03/20/hard-hearted-hanna/#comment-2775 oldwestmom Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:30:13 +0000 http://rocketscientist.today.com/2009/03/20/hard-hearted-hanna/#comment-2775 It saddens me a little that bonus may become a bad word. As you mention, there are legitimate and hardworking people out there who deliver above and beyond, and deserve a little something for it. Bonus is excellent motivation, and I grieve a little for the people on the bottom end of the scale who rightfully earned that bonus, but are being grouped in with their unworthy managers. That being said, I think fundamentally we have to wonder just how much one person needs. These high level execs are shifty. If you find a way to take their millions in bonus, they'll find a way to make it up someplace else and call it another name. Perhaps as a society our laziness is the root of this all. We've gotten fat and we're too busy discussing American Idol, while substandard and gross negligence runs rampant. It's easier to lose ourselves in Grey's Anatomy then to pay attention to the fine print. Even when we do watch the news, what's delivered to us is flippant and sensationalistic. We need to start holding people accountable. My son was watching Bug's Life the other day, and it occurred to me that maybe we all need to watch that movie and try to learn a lesson (bear with me...I'm trying to find a simple way to deliver a message). The ants have long been persecuted by the grasshoppers (in true Aesop fashion). One day, an outspoken ant starts an awakening. The ants outnumber the grasshoppers a hundred to one, and they realize that together they are stronger than the grasshoppers. They band together and drive the grasshoppers out of town. What a beautiful day that would be if we could do the same. As employees and citizens, we need to find a way to hold these people accountable. It saddens me a little that bonus may become a bad word. As you mention, there are legitimate and hardworking people out there who deliver above and beyond, and deserve a little something for it. Bonus is excellent motivation, and I grieve a little for the people on the bottom end of the scale who rightfully earned that bonus, but are being grouped in with their unworthy managers.

That being said, I think fundamentally we have to wonder just how much one person needs. These high level execs are shifty. If you find a way to take their millions in bonus, they’ll find a way to make it up someplace else and call it another name.

Perhaps as a society our laziness is the root of this all. We’ve gotten fat and we’re too busy discussing American Idol, while substandard and gross negligence runs rampant. It’s easier to lose ourselves in Grey’s Anatomy then to pay attention to the fine print. Even when we do watch the news, what’s delivered to us is flippant and sensationalistic.

We need to start holding people accountable.

My son was watching Bug’s Life the other day, and it occurred to me that maybe we all need to watch that movie and try to learn a lesson (bear with me…I’m trying to find a simple way to deliver a message). The ants have long been persecuted by the grasshoppers (in true Aesop fashion). One day, an outspoken ant starts an awakening. The ants outnumber the grasshoppers a hundred to one, and they realize that together they are stronger than the grasshoppers. They band together and drive the grasshoppers out of town. What a beautiful day that would be if we could do the same.

As employees and citizens, we need to find a way to hold these people accountable.

]]> By: Roy Hilbinger http://rocketscientist.today.com/2009/03/20/hard-hearted-hanna/#comment-2772 Roy Hilbinger Sat, 21 Mar 2009 03:35:42 +0000 http://rocketscientist.today.com/2009/03/20/hard-hearted-hanna/#comment-2772 I agree. It defeats the purpose of a "bonus" to make it both automatic and somehow obligatory. They screwed up and got us in this mess in the first place, so obviously they didn't earn their bonus this year. Instead of getting a bonus, they should be shown the door; then they can stand in the unemployment line with me and all the other people out of work because of the economic mess they caused. They created it, they should have to live in it. That's not hard-hearted; that's justice. I agree. It defeats the purpose of a “bonus” to make it both automatic and somehow obligatory. They screwed up and got us in this mess in the first place, so obviously they didn’t earn their bonus this year. Instead of getting a bonus, they should be shown the door; then they can stand in the unemployment line with me and all the other people out of work because of the economic mess they caused. They created it, they should have to live in it. That’s not hard-hearted; that’s justice.

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