Why (oh why) is Uncle Sam Buying a Big Business?

What the heck is our government doing buying a private company?

I want to think about this a lot more, but the federal government receiving nearly 80% of AIG in exchange for an $85 billion loan strikes me initially as a truly, truly, truly bad idea.

Yes, I understand the concept of "too big to fail."

And yes, I understand that the move is an attempt to stabilize the world's bond and equity markets. But isn't capitalism--and not governments--supposed to do that as a matter of course?

More on this tomorrow.