My head hurts...

...after reading this. (H/T Instapundit.)

The Financial Times reports that banks and other financial institutions which received TARP funds may not be allowed to repay the loans. Yes, that is correct:

Strong banks will be allowed to repay bail-out funds they received from the US government but only if such a move passes a test to determine whether it is in the national economic interest, a senior administration official has told the Financial Times.

Lemme git this straight. Banks and the credit industry are in danger of collapse, which will cause the world-wide economic system to collapse. So the Government makes them massive loans. And now those banks which don't need the money anymore, won't be allowed to pay the loans back?

Something is wrong here. This is taxpayer money, to the tune of $246.73 billion, handed out to banks to avoid a banking system collapse. That collapse, if it ever were a real threat, no longer is a threat. If this were a consumer loan, the banks which received the money could cry fraud:

JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive James Dimon said Thursday that his firm is eager to return the $25 billion they've received from the government, and will do so as soon as possible.

"We could pay it back tomorrow," Dimon told reporters Thursday morning. "We're waiting for guidance from the government."

Now, I know that it used to be common to caution people not to pay off their loans too quickly, as it could allegedly harm their credit rating, but I haven't heard that advice in years--possibly because no one was paying off their loans, which was part of the problem. And it hardly seems like it would apply to GOVERNMENT MONEY.

THAT'S MY MONEY DAMN IT!!!

The next Tea Party in the Seattle area is scheduled for July 4.

Be there, or be a tool of the current mis-administration.