Whence Fall the Banks of England, England Falls, 2007 version

Shira, the kids, and the m-i-l went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway for the former’s birthday.

In this version, the father still works for the bank and is given a choice early on: he can loan money to someone who promises to invest the money in business ventures in Foreign Lands and make marvelous returns, or he can loan money to a man who comes in with a local business plan to build a factory, employ local people, and make money. The gentleman even gives sixpence to each of the father’s children, somewhat strengthening the mirroring of the tuppence scene in the original:

But, of course, the other bankers all loan to the man who wants investors, and the father is suspended for not doing so.

Until, of course, the investment turns out to be a Ponzi scheme, and the factory turns out to be the loan that “saves the bank.”

Instead, AIG will be giving out bonuses with TARP monies in March of 2009, and the only failures are among the sweeps and unemployed nannies.