Bailout … so far … 3.5 TRILLION $
Keep on whisteling … DUCK AND COVER …
After Bloomberg filed a lawsuit to get information from the FED, to whom they are lending its 2 TRILLION $ loans …
Some people cared, listing the so far agreed “bailout sums” …
Yes, $3.45 trillion has already been spent, as Bailoutsleuth.com details:
$2T Emergency Fed Loans (the ones the Fed won’t discuss)
$700B TARP (designed to buy bad debt)
$300B Hope Now (the government’s year-old attempt at mortgage workouts)
$200B Fannie/Freddie
$140B Tax Breaks for Banks
$110B: AIG (with it’s new deal this week, the big insurer got $40B of TARP money, plus $110B in other relief)
And they go on …
Tallying up the “true” cost of the bailout is difficult, and won’t be known for months if not years. But considering $3.5 trillion is about 25% of the U.S. economy ($13.8 trillion in 2007) and the U.S. deficit may hit $1 trillion in fiscal 2009, hyperinflation and/or sharply higher interest rates seem likely outcomes down the road.
At the very least, the possibility of the U.S. losing its vaunted Aaa credit rating — which determines the Treasury’s borrowing costs — cannot be discounted.
Interestingly enough … so far happens EXACTLY the opposite 
US Dollar gains ground … Bonds rise …
At least equities keep falling 
November 13th, 2008 at 01:05
I dont think the US AAA rating is at risk (this is a little bit over the top). Remember the US Govt holds 35-40% ownership in all US corporations and high net worth individuals via taxes as an off balance sheet asset. (I suggest listening to the Bill Ackerman interview on Charlie Rose).
This crisis will be over some day – and while the US has a lot of balance sheet repair to do – with the right leadership it can do it.
November 13th, 2008 at 02:16
http://paul.kedrosky.com/archives/2008/11/12/bill_ackman_on_1.html
Here’s the video and its Bill Ackman not Ackerman.