Why only buy out sinking companies?

If the government now finds as part of its charter to effectively acquire companies (Freddie-Mac, Fannie-Mae, AIG,...) as well as come up with a bailout plan for other mismanaged financial companies "for the good of the country," why doesn't it buy profitable ones?

Why should the taxpayers pay hundreds of billions of dollars so the government can basically take over failing businesses?

The government should spend the money and take over the oil companies. That would provide more immediate and long-term relief for the majority of Americans and provide the government with billions of dollars of extra revenue.

The side benefit would be that it would eliminate all future lobbying dollars into politicians hands to influence them, because the politician would own the oil companies.

Russ Dahl

Schaumburg