The document discusses the reasons why the bailout of AIG was necessary. It summarizes that: 1) Allowing AIG to fail could have led to numerous risks, like insurance policyholders losing coverage and bondholders losing up to $400 billion due to credit default swap failures. 2) This could have tightened credit markets and deepened the recession, potentially leading to a second Great Depression. 3) While unpopular with taxpayers, the benefits of preventing a systemic financial crisis outweighed the costs of the bailout.