Some comments about Solyndra and the Government

Solyndra Exhibit 1: Don’t you love how the GOP loves to use the argument that Government shouldn’t be picking winners and losers in business through either loans or subsidies.  Two comments: (1) what the heck do you think the government does on weapons systems and (2) if you oppose subsidies so much then pass a bill banning all subsidies to gas and oil companies NOW.

Solyndra Exhibit 2:  The conservative newspaper Economist closed an analysis of the Solyndra failure with this quote:  “But pointing out how risky venture capital is only raises the question of why the government went into it in the first place. A far better way to promote investment in clean energy would be to raise the price of the dirty sort, through a carbon tax or cap-and-trade scheme. It is the sniggering Republicans, of course, who have prevented that from happening.”  What was implied and not said: Big Oil controls the purse strings. 

Solyndra Exhibit 3: Republican Congressman and Floridian Cliff Stearns chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations: “If President Obama believes that we should borrow billions of dollars from China to subsidize American businesses trying to compete with China, then he doesn’t understand this country’s economic system.”  Stearns adds “We should invest in and provide incentives to companies that can exploit our competitive advantages in technology and innovation, utilizing our strengths in taking on China and other nations in the global market, and not subsidize industries when these other nations have cheaper labor, no environmental or safety standards, less regulation and easy access to raw materials.”  Here’s the deal Clavin, we can out innovate the rest of the world, what we need is government support to make sure the manufacturing stays stateside.  Otherwise, we will find ourselves sitting around the bar like a bunch of 40 year old men reminiscing about the big game in high school as we complain about cheaper labor, no environmental regulation, and safety standards.