They actually lost about $9.2 billion after selling all the stocks. (Bailing out the auto industry) This is definitely not acting for the greater good, they abuse their power to control what is done with our money when we could be helping each other or it could go to better causes if it were still in our hands. In fact St Vincent's Monastery had a similar case where, in order for individual monks to obtain personal items such as clothes, soap or other items, they would have to speak to one of the abbots. Ultimately, this led to favoritism, less benefit to the individual, and turned many people away from life. However, today each monk is given a budget for the year that he is responsible for instead of choosing how to spend the money against his will. I'm not saying that individuals shouldn't pay taxes, but I believe they should have more say in what is done with their money. For example, what if there was a system like presidential/congressional elections where the popular vote had weight, but there was also weight for a select group to limit maximum funds. Keep in mind that this system is technically in place with Congress, but when you have a system that chooses when to get a raise, what its benefits are, and where the money goes that can ultimately benefit their career or