Administration, Lawmakers Turn Up Heat on AIG Over Bonuses
美官员议员不满AIG发高额奖金

Troubled insurance giant American International Group, or AIG, which has received more than $170 billion in U.S. taxpayer money, will pay $165 million in employee bonuses and retention pay. And while senior administration officials and lawmakers are calling it an outrage, There may be little they can do to stop the pay outs. 

陷入困境的保险业巨头美国国际公司将拿出1.65亿美元给员工发放奖金与红利和续聘津贴。美国国际集团也称作AIG，该企业得到了超过1700亿美元纳税人的钱。尽管政府高级官员和国会议员认为这笔钱的数目太惊人，他们可能无能为力制止AIG支出这笔款。

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has been in talks with AIG Chief Executive Edward Liddy to limit the millions of dollars worth of bonuses promised to employees, including some who worked in the financial product unit responsible for bringing the company to the brink of collapse.　

美国财政部部长盖特纳一直在跟AIG首席执行官爱德华.利迪进行谈话，要他减少向员工承诺的数亿美元奖金红利数额，其中包括在该企业金融产品部门工作，对将AIG引入崩溃边缘负有责任的一些人。

In a letter sent Saturday to Secretary Geithner, Liddy argued that while the arrangement was both "distasteful and difficult," the retention bonuses were put in place at the beginning of 2008, before AIG received any bail-out money.

利迪在给盖特纳的信中认为，尽管这项安排“令人不愉快，执行起来也有困难”，可是，这笔续聘津贴的钱2008年初就已经到位了，早于AIG接受任何救助款。

A top economic adviser to President Barack Obama, Lawrence Summers, said Sunday on ABC television although he thinks the compensation is outrageous, AIG is contractually obligated to pay them. 

奥巴马总统的高级经济顾问萨默斯星期天在美国广播公司电视节目上说，尽管他觉得这笔津贴数目惊人，但是从执行契约的角度，AIG有义务支付这笔钱。

"We are a country of law," said Lawrence Summers. "There are contracts. The government cannot just abrogate contracts. Every legal step possible to limit those bonuses is being taken."　

萨默斯说：“我们是法治国家。合同摆在那了，政府可不能废除这些和约。现在有关方面正在尽可能采取每一个合法的步骤来减少津贴数额。”

The bonuses and other seemingly corporate excesses are a source of frustration for the Obama administration as it seeks to rescue financial firms while maintaining public support for these efforts. AIG has received more public funds to stay afloat than any other firm, with the government owning an 80-percent stake in the company.　

奥巴马政府在寻求挽救金融公司的同时，尽量让社会继续支持这些努力，而上述津贴问题和其它表面看是企业的过份行为让奥巴马政府十分沮丧。AIG得到的公共救助资金比其它任何企业都多，目前政府已经拥有该公司80%的股权。

Also appearing on ABC's This Week With George Stephanopoulos program, Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky sharply criticized Summers' response, saying other troubled institutions receiving taxpayer dollars will get the idea it is okay to use this money for employee bonuses. 

来自肯塔基州的共和党人麦康奈尔也参加了乔治.斯特凡诺普洛斯主持的美国广播公司“本星期”节目。他尖锐批评了萨默斯的言论，麦康纳尔说，其它得到纳税人钱救助陷入困境的公司会这样认为，拿这笔钱给员工付奖金红利是可以的。壹壹英语论坛：http://www.YeeYi.Net/bbs

"We all know that contracts are valid in this country, but they need to be looked at," said Mitch McConnell. "Did they enter into these contracts knowing full well that, as a practical matter, the taxpayers of the United States were going to be reimbursing their employees? Particularly employees who got them into this mess in the first place. I think it is an outrage."　

麦康奈尔说：“我们都知道，在这个国家合同是有法律效力的，不过合同也需要进行审查。一个实际的问题是，他们签这些合同时是否十分清楚美国的纳税人还要赔偿他们的雇员？特别是还要赔偿那些把他们首先置于困境的那些雇员？我认为这是不道德的行为。”

Seeking to reassure the Treasury Secretary, AIG's Liddy said the company would reduce its bonuses in 2009 by 30 percent. Liddy also said the top 25 executive positions at the financial products division will earn a $1 salary for the rest of 2009. 

AIG首席执行官利迪向财政部长盖特纳保证说，该公司2009年的奖金红利将降低30%。利迪还说，公司金融部门25个最高行政职务2009年今后几个月的月薪是1美元。