No wonder financial institutions require the government to steal $billions from us to prop them up, if this is an example of how wisely they allocate their resources:

Four major banks, including one that collapsed, two that received federal bailout money and one that filed for bankruptcy this past September, paid former President Clinton $2.1 million for 13 speeches he delivered on their behalf between 2004-2007, according to Senate financial disclosure statements filed by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).

Citigroup paid Bill Clinton $700,000; Goldman Sachs paid $950,000; Lehman Brothers paid $300,000 and Merrill Lynch paid $175,000 to the former president for speeches during that time period. Sen. Clinton's 2008 financial disclosure reports are not yet available.

No worries — we taxpayers can more than make it up to them. Goldman Sachs has received $10 billion in federal bailout money, and Citigroup has received $25 billion. What a coincidence: the ones who shoveled the most cash at the Clintons were the ones who got the bailouts. Banks will no doubt learn not to be so stingy from the lesson of bankrupt Lehman Brothers and bought-out Merrill Lynch.

When we have no money left for bureaucrats to loot from us on behalf of their corrupt cronies, Chairman O can just print up some more, or sell what's left of our future to the communist Chinese.

On a tip from Charles O. Cross-posted at Moonbattery.