[A. Pole]

What's wrong with this Overseas Private Investment Corporation that you harp on constantly.

Why this Private corporation cannot be private?

[LowCountryJoe]

It uses the federal government as a re-insurer but yet there is no cost borne by the tax payer, Why? Because it make money and has an actual $4 billion reserve, Why? because it charges its clients (firms holding policies) premiums for that insurance, Why? Because businesses would think twice about off-shoring if they didn't have a "risk pool" in case of political unrest.

But why is this good for the U.S. isn't this counterproductive? Comparitive advantage determines what gets traded. This is just the market, doing what it does best - allocating resources. Did you happen to catch the part where OPIC indirectly creates 1/4 million jobs and $60 billion in exports?

What if the federal government has to step in for a bailout? After blowing through 4 billion in reserves, it would be pretty safe to assume there would be some sizable political unrest underway - the kind of unrest that's like to bring some form of United States intervention, at the tax payer expense, anyway.