Only in Obama's America- PART 1

Seventh Grade Accepts Bonus; Government Demands Return

CUPERTINO, Calif. - Brady Cooperman, a resourceful 13-year-old student at Christopher Columbus Junior High School in the heart of Silicon Valley, is facing some stiff penalties from the federal government for taking unprecedented bonuses in light of the dire economic situation.

Foe a year now, Cooperman has been working to earn enough money to buy an Xbox. He mows his elderly neighbors lawns weekly, runs errands, and helps with household chores. Last week one of his neighbors, Mr. Peter Rossdale, 82, gave him a $20 bonus on top of his weekly salary of $15.

"It's clear that Brady is accepting a big bonus," said White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who was given millions of dollars in bonuses himself when he was an investment banker. "We just can't allow fat cats like him to feast on the economy this way. Less than an hour's drive away from Mr. Cooperman's hometown, on the streets of San Francisco, are thousands of homeless people who have just as much right to that money."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who represents the city of San Francisco in Congress, also expressed her disdain at Brady's bonus.

"Do this boy's parents have no shame, teaching their own child to be so greedy?" Pelosi fumed at a press conference outside the Capitol. "This is the culture we have had to live in, ever since the disgraceful President Reagan had the audacity to suggest that some people deserve more just because they work harder or are more highly skilled at what they do! It's an outrage! Two words- NO MORE!"

Nonethless, family and friends close to Cooperman swiftly defended his bonus.

"He's a good boy," Mr. Rossdale said. "I don't know what I'd do without him. Ever since I broke my hip, I can't get up and around like I used to. I pay him $15 every week or so for helping me around the house with heavy liftng and whatnot. I know times are tough, so I slipped him an extra twenty dollars because he's been good to me and he's been saving up. I've known him since he was three."

Several other events are planned later in the week due to public outcry over the bonus. Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin says that her organization will come down from nearby Berkeley on Wednesday evening to hold a protest and candlelight vigil in front of Rossdale's home to express their objections to his decision to pay the bonus. On Saturday, the Oakland chapter of the NAACP will sponsor a bus tour to Rossdale's home, as well as the homes of many other elderly Cupertino residents whom Cooperman has done various odd jobs for.

It is clear that ever since the backlash at AIG when executives accepted lavish bonuses after requestng a federal bailout, the government isn't taking any chances when it comes to other business people, regardless of age, accepting bonuses, starting at a grassroots level.

Furthermore, should Brady Cooperman fail to return his bonus, he might face harsh charges on a state and federal level. And he'll never get that Xbox, either.