Want an investment where you can lose 36 percent in one year

How much is TARP costing American taxpayers? Of the $700 billion authorized by Congress for TARP, $439 billion has been given out. CBO gives us an estimate of how much of that money are taxpayers likely to see again. The answer is pretty depressing. The above chart says it all. The $439 billion is now worth about $280 billion. That is a loss for taxpayers of 36 percent in a half a year.

The biggest losers are Housing, Autos, and AIG.

During the first Presidential debate, Obama said that taxpayers "have the possibility of getting that money back and gains, if the market -- and when the market returns."