Monday, March 23, 2009 | 2:03 a.m.
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The year 1984 is long passed but it seems that we have somehow allowed some newspeak to come into our language. My old tattered dictionary was printed in 1980. It defines “bonus” as “a payment or benefit in addition to what is usual or expected.”
Given our terrible economy, no one should be paid a bonus for failure. No one should be paid a bonus when the company he or she works for loses money. If you just show up for work and do the minimum expected, you should get a paycheck. If you do less, you should get a pink slip. Only if you perform above and beyond should you get a bonus.
All those who got bonuses as defined by this new Orwellian system of reward, driving their companies to the brink of bankruptcy and then asking for taxpayer bailouts, should give the money back as they walk out the door with their pink slips. There are too many good workers who are out of a job today who would be glad to take their places.
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