WASHINGTON - Congresswoman Candice Miller today went to the floor of the House of Representatives and made the following statement:

"Mr. speaker, this week we saw the latest outrage from Wall Street when it was exposed that AIG paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses much of went to workers in the division that helped actually cause the economic meltdown and all with taxpayers' money.

 The excuse we are given is that those are contractual obligations and must be paid .  And we are just supposed to accept that.

 Let us contrast that with how American auto workers are treated when General Motors or Chrysler needed bridge loans from the government. They are told they make too much money and that their contracts are killing the companies and that they must take less or else the federal government will let the companies die.

So let's get this straight.  AIG employees who helped implode the economy are given bonuses with taxpayers' money because it's in their contract while UAW workers whose companies were badly hurt by the economic meltdown partially caused by AIG are told that their contracts must be disregarded or renegotiated. If that isn't a vivid example of the double standard where people who work on Wall Wtreet get their contracts upheld but people who work on the line, it doesn't matter and let them eat cake!   This is wrong, Mr. Speaker. I yield back."

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