We haven't been repaid most of the money. Although we have been repaid some. The $89billion is a Treasury Dept estimate. I didn't think the figure looked correct when I started thinking about all the different programs that constitute the "Bailout" and all the funds included in each. When I read the article in it's entirety I noticed you omitted a few choice details.

"For example, the US government still is providing crucial support for financial and housing markets. And there is one glaring exception to the encouraging trend of wards of the state getting back on their feet: Housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, with $125.9 billion in direct injections from the government, are expected to rely on federal coffers for years. They have an unlimited US credit line.

According to CBO, losses related to the investment portfolios of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are projected to total $370 billion through 2020, though the figure will fluctuate depending on the health of the housing market. The treasury’s $89 billion estimate for the total bailout cost doesn’t incorporate CBO’s projected losses at Fannie and Freddie because, for budgeting purposes, the Obama administration technically considers them private entities. Taxpayers are potentially on the hook for losses at Fannie and Freddie."


I also noticed that "The treasury’s estimate is dependent on many factors, including the health of the economy and the housing market."

Seems we're not quite out of the woods yet.

Dave for a guy who claims to be non-partisan your last couple of posts sure appear to be so. Besides the obvious moral hazards of cheerleading for Corporatism do you really believe that it was George W. Bush who was the ultimate mastermind in "engineering" the crisis in the first place?????

Instead of arguing about the merits of subsidizing the banks and businesses that were the major contributors to the financial collapse how about we discuss the policies that got us there in the first place? Like the massive expansion of credit.