How much will taxpayers shoulder?

[Jester]

Actually he's off by 3 zeros.

he did

$7,000,000,000,000 <----------- (which is correctly $7 trillion)
--------------------------- = ~$45
153,100,000,000 <--------------- (which is an erroneous 153 billion people)
it should be

$7,000,000,000,000
--------------------------- = $45,721
153,100,000
And considering $50,233.00 was the median HOUSEHOLD income in the US in 2007 (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_inc..._United_States) I'd say that is a hell of a lot to tack on to someones taxes at the end of the year. It's nearly the average income of the american family.

Why is 7 trillion being used? The amount of the bailout is 700 billion. That would put the correct value at $4700 per working person, or $2350 per capita, in ballpark terms. Very, very substantial, but not backbreaking.

Of course, this is all very contingent on how that 700 billion is being used, and what the gains from that are. Obviously, the idea is economic stimulus, and that can find its way either back into government hands directly (reducing the long-run need to tax it out of the population) or into the pockets of Americans (reducing the cost per person). It also could prevent future losses, which doesn't show up on a balance sheet, but might be tremendously relevant if the economy hasn't hit the floor yet. If the money goes towards buying bad assets, if those assets turn out to be worth something after a recovery, then there could even conceivably be a profit turned over the whole affair. I think that's terribly unlikely, but it's another thing to consider.

-Jester