One reason that there is relatively little public support for stimulus is that the public often confuses it with the $700 billion TARP. While the stimulus was about boosting the economy, the TARP was about keeping banks from sinking due to their own incompetence. It is understandable that the public would not feel warmly about the TARP. The general public can be excused for confusing the stimulus and the TARP. Reporters, who are paid to know the distinction between these two massive programs, have difficulty keeping them separate also. This morning, Marketplace Radio introduced a segment on the jobs created by the stimulus by referring to as "the $787 federal bailout fund."
--Dean Baker
