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Now, welcome to this slightly too funny edition of the award-winning Best of the Left podcast.

With clips today from the Daily Show, This American Life, The Onion Radio News, The Colbert Report, and The Young Turks.

Because when you think about the economy and want to cry, the best thing to do is laugh.

But tonight, let's begin with the economy and our ongoing segment. Cluster **** to the poor house.

All right. I think that was a real drywall for God's sakes.

Do you remember last year when all the banks were going broke, the big banks, and we gave them like $700 billion with zero interest and no strings attached.

So that they would have some money to lend back to us at between six and 30% interest.

But we had to do it. To avoid a worldwide financial market meltdown. A post apocalyptic dystopian future where roasted squirrel meat would be our currency.

Mmm. Also a Hanukkah treat.

Well, a year later, I am happy to report the banks are doing great. They're paying back the money we lent them.

They're posting record profits. I guess the one thing they forgot to do was start loaning the money that we gave them back to us.

Or changing their risky business practices or curtail in any way their grotesque myopic and ultimately destructive financial incentive structure.

Well, funny story. Look out Wall Street because the president has had enough.

I did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on Wall Street.

I guess I guess it just happened to work out that way. Happy accident.

Well, the free ride is over the bitchies. On Monday, the president of these United States summoned the heads of the biggest financial institutions to a no holds barred breakfast meeting at the White House in the Roosevelt room where the president would finally force the banks to make good.

On the promises that we never made them make.

And when the most powerful man in the world says jump. What are the CEOs of the three biggest financial institutions say?

Three of the top bankers invited to the White House. Fairly won't be able to attend in person because their flights were delayed due to bad weather.

Yesterday was sunny. Yesterday was a nice day. Unless you were flying down to Washington, Icarus style on wings of wax.

And you were concerned there might be a little meltage. I'm not biting.

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