Fraud, Waste, and Great Material for Comedy

The bank bailout/stimulus news starts to turn ugly. But out of the dross of fraud and government waste, a talented few can spin the gold of comedy.

First, the special inspector general assigned to monitor the bailout program warns that the program is so complex and loosely organized that it is open to fraud.

Second, tiny and remote John Murtha Airport gets $200 million in taxpayer dollars. Surprise, it is named after a member of Congress. 

These stories remind me of a recent episode of South Park, where Stan tries to return a margarita mixer his father bought on credit. Stan goes all the way to Washington DC, where he learns how bailout decisions are made according to a careful, precise, and rational process.

Watch that process here and tell me, is it life imitating art or vice versa?