Subprime Mortgage Crisis: These are the unstable cards in our analogy. It refers to the sharp increase and subsequent crash of housing prices, driven by an increase in risky lending to borrowers with poor credit.
Financial Crisis of 2008: This is when the card tower collapsed. It was a severe worldwide economic crisis that occurred in the financial world and was the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression.
Stimulus Package: This is like trying to rebuild your card tower after it's fallen down. A stimulus package is a coordinated effort by the government to increase spending and investment to "stimulate" an economy out of a downturn.