Appraising Risks to Growth: AIG Should Have Failed

Dr. Barnett — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0000

No.:

The U.S. Congress ought to blush about the AIG situation as should Fed Chair Bernanke. The amount of money spent defending AIG’s bad bets is incredible. But there is something else at stake here. At issue is the question of whether the government knows what it is doing. People need evidence that the Fed and U.S. Treasury are operating a “best practices” recovery plan.

After Bailing Out AIG, Who Will Bail Out the U.S.?

Dr. Barnett — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000

No.:

There is a lot we don't know yet about the FED's 79.9% stake in AIG. But we do know that the FED's rescue of AIG has enormous implications. Allegedly, AIG wrote nearly a half trillion dollars of credit derivative insurance on the viability of businesses throughout the world. We need to understand how far this ownership goes beyond symbolism and bridge financing. The U.S. taxpayer may be assuming a big chunk of liability for world commerce, and in the face of a credit contraction that will bring down global businesses.

TruthSavvy - AIG

Appraising Risks to Growth: AIG Should Have Failed

After Bailing Out AIG, Who Will Bail Out the U.S.?