I think that is entirely disingenuous. The banks have been borrowing from the Fed and lending to the Treasury for a profit.[1] The taxpayers have essentially recapitalized the banks. Now we are in a trap of low interest rates trying to edge our way out. We’ll see how it goes.

Free markets would have let the banks fail. Instead we’ve created a world with champions for free markets for trade, free markets for labor, but protected markets for capital. Absolute self-serving hypocrisy. FDIC was designed to protect the little guy. The bailouts protected the richest americans and excellerrated the growing inequality in this country.

I believe in capitalism, but 2008 was the crony variety. It still angers me thinking about watching the crying pundits talk about risk on monitors next to Americans taking real risks in Iraq. The bailouts were bipartisan fraud at a grand scale and epitomize the corruption of establishment politics and the revolving door between government and the private sector. But sure, “americans got paid back with interest.” Believe it if you want to.

[1] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/are-banks-borrowing-fro...