Manzullo votes to punish AIG execs who got bonuses; bill is unconstitutional!

10 comments March 20th, 2009

Shame on the House of Representatives! The congressmen passed a blatantly unconstitutional measure Thursday designed to calm the people with pitchforks demanding the heads of AIG execs who are divvying up $165 million in bonus payments. The U.S. government now owns 80 percent of AIG, thanks to billions in bailout money that saved their sorry assets.

The House members voted 328 to 93 — Don Manzullo voted yes — to slap a 90 percent tax on the executive bonuses.

This violates the Article I of the U.S. Constitution, which specifically bans bills of attainder and ex post facto laws.

A bill of attainder singles out a person or group for punishment without trial. Congress is seeking to punish AIG execs. Tomorrow it may want to single out scuba divers or people with purple hair.

An ex post facto law is one that makes illegal something that was legal when enacted. The bonuses paid were legal. Congress cannot make them retroactively illegal or, by extrapolation,  enact a punitive 90 percent tax on them.

This bill is expected to die in the Senate. Stop monkeying with our Constitution, congressmen.