Anger Management

By Sniffles

So a wave of populism is sweeping over the country in response to the AIG bonus scandal.

We cats don't disagree (although we think that the "Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous" tour of AIG executives' Connecticut homes was a bad idea). Americans should be angry about the mess that the Bush Administration left the country in. They certainly didn't get angry enough about other things — wars of choice, torture, spying on Americans, ignoring the August 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Brief, etc.

But we digress. Rage at AIG is a good thing. We cats, for example, would love to GROWL, HISS and slash deep, painful scratches into the fleshy, hard-to-heal parts of those greedy executives' forearms. It's just that we're a little weary of it all, because we were never ones to adore captains of industry in the first place. We've always expected them to be avaricious, self-absorbed and, oh, yeah, Republican.

So despite all the fawning coverage from the media, businessmen were never included in our most-admired list. However, we understand that others felt differently — and now, we suspect, part of people's anger is probably based not only on vexation with the misuse of taxpayer dollars but also on the deep-seated disappointment that only groupies can feel.

Therefore, we have a suggestion for every corporate-giant admirer who's feeling a tad let down. Try seeking out better role models.

Ours? Morris Dees (above), one of the founders of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Sure, he's personally wealthy, but that's not why we esteem him. It's because every day, he puts his life on the line for something that really matters.

Try it sometime. You'll feel better.