SCRUTINIZING GOVERNMENT

«On the day when former American International Group Inc. (AIG) executives testified before the House Oversight Committee, reports surfaced that the company spent $440,000 on a retreat for independent agents. The trip occurred after the $85-billion federal bailout of the company was announced in September 2008.“Last month the government lent AIG $85 billion to keep it afloat. But just a week later, after both CEOs had left, company executives attended an exclusive California resort at a cost of $440,000,” CBS anchor Katie Couric said on the Oct. 7 “Evening News.” But it wasn’t exactly company executives gathered at the St. Regis resort. They weren’t even directly employed by AIG, but were independent agents who sell the company’s products. The agents were being rewarded as top sellers, according to AIG spokesman Nicholas Ashooh, as reported by Bloomberg.»