“Today, the House of Representatives will vote on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s “No More Solyndras Act,” H.R. 6213. The legislation was authored by full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Stearns (R-FL), drawing upon the lessons of the committee’s investigation into the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) $535 million loan guarantee to Solyndra, the California solar panel manufacturer that ultimately went bankrupt last September.” [House Energy & Commerce Committee Blog]
There is truly only ONE lesson from Solyndra – subsidies and loans to business is unconstitutional and needs to be stopped in its tracks. There is zero authority or demand in the Constitution to take money from one guy and give it to another. None. Same goes for Federal welfare. The states are free to do as they please in these areas.
Canals and railroads were proven technology of the day. All we did was BIGGER. Solar and wind are still inefficient and deficient in so many ways.
Current proven tech in energy is gas, coal, and nuclear. We have HUGE resourses of all three. If we were to emulate the late 1800’s we’d be drilling and mining like crazy while building fast neutron reactors all over the place.
If and when some other tech like solar comes along and proves economical AND profitable then we need to do that BIG as well. duh. Everything else is just lab experiments.
What about the 19th century investments into canals and railroads?
And a truly great private company, Kodak, just went under.
Economics is chaotic. You can be the leader in your industry, think RIM and blackberry, one day and in the soup the next.
Color me skeptical. I truly hope that the GOP is serious and that they will use their majority to stop ALL financial meddling in private entities by the federal government (grants, stock purchases, loan guarantees, special tax incentives, etc.). I fear, however, that the Solyndra debacle is just a convenient issue with which to win votes, and that, when the next Solyndra happens to appear in a GOP district, it’ll look like a fabulous “investment” for other people’s money.