The Bailout Solution

Aha! I knew it. Sounds right to me!

Little Johnnie in Montana bought a horse from a farmer for $100.

The farmer agreed to deliver the horse the next day.

The next day he drove up and said, 'Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the horse died.'

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Johnnie replied, 'Well, then just give me my money back.'

The farmer said, 'Can't do that. I went and spent it already'

Johnnie said, 'Ok, then, just bring me the dead horse.'

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The farmer asked, 'What ya gonna do with him?

Johnnie said, 'I'm going to raffle him off.'

The farmer said, 'You can't raffle off a dead horse!'

Johnnie said, 'Sure I can, Watch me. I just won't tell any body he's dead.'

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A month later, the farmer met up with Johnnie and asked,

'What happened with that dead horse?'

Johnnie said, 'I raffled him off.

I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $898..'

The farmer said, 'Didn't anyone complain?'

Johnnie said, 'Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back.'

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Johnnie grew up and works now for the government.

He was the one who figured out how to "bail us out".

UPDATE: If you think this is only a joke, here's a word from TPM:

Last week, Congress's oversight panel for the TARP funds confirmed in a report that the Treasury Department essentially has no idea what banks have done with the astronomical sums they've been handed.