The U.S. government, which announced Monday that it plans to slowly unload its 27% stake in Citigroup Inc. over the remainder of this year, currently stands to pocket an $8 billion profit on the investment from last September. That’s a remarkable 30% return in six months, or triple the return generated by the average hedge fund manager investing in distressed securities, according to data from Hedge Fund Research Inc. Of course, the value of the government’s huge stake in Citi could fall by the time it’s all sold. After all, the U.S. Treasury is proposing to sell a whopping 7.7 billion shares, which would be the second-largest stock sale of any kind ever.

So why all the noise about TARP funds when for one of the first times in history a US government program actually turns a huge profit? Where are all the naysayers and tea-party buffoons now that their complaints about the TARP program look quite simply….stupid? And this is good for New York City as the sale of all this stock will produce huge commissions…..that will result in bonuses…..that will be taxed to pay for Albany’s stupidity….and spent in the City…..hopefully on real estate!