The Bell Tower

Solar Power

“’You have to look at the big picture of what [the incentives] are providing,’ said Ramadan. ‘Not only are you getting cleaner energy, you also have the creation of jobs in that sector. And because there are special incentives for companies that are New Jersey-based, it brings business to the state.’”

Wrong. If that money were freed up and solar power let to die of natural causes, the money might go towards more useful public functions - such as education or law enforcement. If it’s freed up in the form of less taxes, that money might go towards industries consumers actually find valuable. The same goes for the remark about jobs. If that money is not spent on solar welfare, maybe those jobs are created in education or law enforcement or in the private sector which actually caters to consumer demand vs. government preference.

“The incubator” is just another word for life support to an industry that can’t survive without siphoning tax dollars to keep it afloat. Subsidies such as this injure the economy, they don’t help it. If government would get the hell out of the way and let consumer demand drive innovation rather than government hubris, perhaps we would emerge from this cloud of debt and bureaucracy that so frustrates the American public. Perhaps a real alternative energy source that consumers want and businesses find profitable will be discovered. It will never happen while government tries to pre-determine winners and losers.

Ray LaHood “misspoke” on the Toyota Recall.

Really? Why should I trust anything that Ray LaHood has to say regarding Toyota? He represents an administration that A.) was elected largely with money contributed by labor unions who clearly have no reason to love Toyota and B.) currently owns two of Toyota’s major competitors outright. In private business, we call this a conflict of interest. It would be similar to Pete Rose gambling on the Reds. This administration seems either to have no concept of this conflict or chooses to ignore the conflict altogether.

The primary problem with all of these government purchases of private sector industries is the damage it does to the free market. Privately owned businesses have to maintain profit margins. To do so, they must make decisions based on the free choices of individual consumers. Publicly owned entities can run at enormous deficits and have no reason to provide anything of value to consumers. They allow government to make those decisions for consumers. For instance: what kind of car to drive, what kind of foods to eat, what kind of light bulbs to use, what sort of and how much fuel consumers choose to use, etc. It’s no secret that many in the Obama administration and on the left in general do not like the decisions consumers are making concerning these (and many other) areas of private life. The more control government has over these industries, the easier it is for them to force the behavior that they (and their campaign contributers) would like to see out of consumers. In other words: less freedom.

A second problem is demonstrated by the Toyota controversey. Perhaps Toyota has made some poor decisions regarding their gas pedals and perhaps the government is doing the right thing here. They seem to be at least operating honestly. Nevertheless, why should I trust a government with such glaring conflicts of interest? If an umpire is on the bankroll of one of the two teams he is umpiring, he has every motive to be biased towards the side buttering his bread. His ability to objectively judge the situation is severely compromised whether that conflict exists in perception or reality. Another Obama turd in the public punch bowl.

Jemele Hill

“But I’d rather see an athlete behave with conviction than degrade himself to make money. I’d rather hear Tebow talk about what God has done for him than read another story about an athlete who beats up his wife or girlfriend.”

Great column by Jemele Hill. I hate the abortion discussion in this country. Both sides of the debate tend to be nauseating, but give Tebow credit. He’s standing up for what he believes in and he’s doing it with more class than most of these pro-this or pro-that fools generally tend to display. It’s safe to say that nobody really doubts Tim Tebow’s courage at this point, even if it isn’t as courageous as it once was to stand in the pocket against that celebrated Mickey Andrews defense. This decision though took more courage than anything Tebow ever did on the field. You don’t have to agree with him but put aside your politics for five seconds and show this kid some respect. As Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade would say:

“He has chosen a path. It’s the right path. It’s a path made of principle that leads to character. Let him continue on his journey.”