Perhaps somebody should write to this fellow to tell him that TARP is not manna from heaven, it is a taxpayer bail-out of an industry that broke itself. Individual banks may not have needed $, but plenty of $ in the banking system reduces the risk of widespread bank runs that not even the best-run bank is likely to survive. As for control: if any commercial entity ponies up the cash to rescue a failing entity, the first thing they do is take control and institute emergency measures to repair whatever caused the failure- including supervision or replacement of current management. In this respect, government seems fairly benign. IMHO the objection is to the label "government" not to the idea that a rescuing investor is expected to take control, especially of an entity that needed saving after it screwed up.