If the taxpayers are paying for the bailout of these financial institutions

[lunatica]

Does that mean that we out and out give them the money just so they turn around and use that same money to loan to us and charge us interest rates for giving us loans and credit? So if I pay my credit card bill to WAMU am I paying WAMU a handsome profit just for the 'privilege' of using my own money?

This is what it all looks like to me. The government can't own 80% of AIG if they're using public taxpayer money to prop them up. Doesn't that mean the taxpayers own that portion? And how does that translate when we use their services? I'd just as soon keep my money from the start and spend it on necessities.

Or am I just not enough of Free Market thinker?

[Newsjock]

1. Why do you hate America?

:sarcasm:

[MercutioATC]

2. As far as the BIG bailout goes, the government is buying all of their shit paper.

It's a sale, no strings attached (if I understand correctly).

We buy the bad part of all of their portfolios and they go on doing what they do.

[pinkpops]

3. Taxpayers? Does that mean there will be taxes specifically levied

to pay for this? Or are these abstract theoretical future taxpayers?

[lunatica]

4. The government's money is revenue from taxes

Income tax, sales tax, property tax, death tax, inheritance tax. We pay for everything don't we? From the President's salary to the fire hydrant down the block from our houses.

[pinkpops]

6. Not really unless by "we" you mean

people who haven't even been born yet. And even then there is no certainty. Sometime in the (far) distant future the whole country could end up in violent conflict. Militias and/or individuals with guns could rule the streets. The end result could be a government with little resemblance to the one we have now. Or all the records of who owes what to whom could become lost or corrupted. Thangs is gettin outta hand.

[lunatica]

5. It's like paying Safeway for selling you food

There's just something that isn't getting across. Would anyone find it odd if Safeway suddenly needed help and we just handed them our hard earned money so they could stay in business and them turning around and doing business as usual. They wouldn't be passing their expenses on to the customer through charging more for what they pay to get the food so they can make a profit. They would be taking money out of our right pocket and then turn around and take money out of our left pocket.