I would have described the ~2008-9 bailouts exactly the opposite of that. Lots of people were very critical of them, and they weren't gifts, they were the gove

I would have described the ~2008-9 bailouts exactly the opposite of that. Lots of people were very critical of them, and they weren't gifts, they were the government investing in those companies (buying stock) so they didn't go under. As a whole, those investments ended up being fairly profitable for the government.