Finally a government program with cost estimates LESS than projected.
The $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program is estimated by the CBO to come in at $25 billion dollars.
At the time, if you remember, it was billed as a gift and we were out the money. However, due to repayments and other fortunate events, most of the money allocated has either not been used or has been repaid.
AIG and the auto industry are costing about $45 billion whereas the other aspects are giving the taxpayers $20 billion of profit, for a net of $25 billion cost.
There is an interesting study that says states that ban texting while driving actually have rising accident claims.
Why? They theorize that drivers try to evade police by lowering their phones when texting, which increases the risk by taking their eyes even further from the road and for a longer time.
Why do I bring this up? Because the unintended consequences of every action should be taken into consideration.
A good think to remember when we’re talking about economic policies–monetary or fiscal.
