[Flame Of Liberty]

Gotta love this:

TROUBLED US banks could use the US Government's $US700 billion bailout to buy rival banks, pay bonuses, or simply hoard, according to reports.
As the economic crisis worsens, lawmakers on both sides of Congress are starting to gripe that the much-touted $A1.04 trillion rescue package is seemingly far different from the one they were sold by the Bush administration.
...
But reports are surfacing that bankers may instead use the money to buy other banks, pay dividends, give employees a raise and executives a bonus, or just sit on it.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sto...14-664,00.html

So the politicians are stepping up again to save the day:

U.S. warns banks that using bail-out money for pay and pensions to executives will be a criminal offence

Using bail-out money for anything other than lending - such as paying bonuses or pensions to Wall Street executives - will be a criminal offence, the powerful chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee has said.
The news comes after reports financial giants owe bosses some $40billion in bonuses and pension promises.
Reports that Goldman Sachs is on course to pay its top City bankers multimillion-pound bonuses - despite asking the U.S. government for an emergency bail-out - ignited fury among taxpayers.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl....html?ITO=1490

and

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...904533_pf.html

and

http://www.cnbc.com/id/27472762