The question I suppose in front of us with regards to “green energy” is whether you think its a national security issue or not. I, strongly, believe that it is. And as a result, I believe the federal government needs to inject research capital to create opportunities for the private sector in these areas.

Why, shouldn’t we just allow the private sector to do this on their own? Because some times the Return On Investment (ROI) is in anticipation of an event that if it came to fruition would cause difficulties for our country. In this case, working on alternative fuels (as an example) before fuel prices spin out of control (again) would be preferable to starting research on new products when we are at our most desperate. Hopefully that mush of a sentence made sense.

Nice conversation.
Rick Beagle

This will be my final post on this topic. So I leave you with this thought.

What government program developed the xbox? The texting cell phone? The digital picture frame? The plasma TV?

Some items developed for gov use may also have application in some form for civilian use. But the governemtn doesn’t cherry pick technologies and sectors to promote and advance over others for the good of the consumer. Not in America at least.

I could not disagree more on either issue.

Your second question is kind of ridiculous to be honest. Just because something won’t come to fruition in less than ten years does not mean we aren’t working on it now. The Hoover dam is a perfect example of this.

In so far as the government driving technology, where have you been? They are VERY good at driving forward technology and have been doing this for years. And in matters that directly affect our national security, there is no excuse not to.

First I don’t think government (regardless of the party in control) is the right entity to be deciding what technologies get advanced and what don’t.

Second, what does any of that have to do with an immediate stimulus plan? Promoting something that can take 10+ years to be developed isn’t going to help the unemployed person today.

Let us assume that we agree that it will take years for some of these efforts to bear fruit, but does that mean we shouldn’t do them? A little forward thinking is a good thing imho and has been sorely lacking in the last fifty years…. Plus, given the governance of the last fifty years, President Obama has very little time to bring his ideas to the table and get them started.

You know its funny, but I absolutely disagree with Obama with regards to the bank bailouts. The zombie institutions either need to be nationalized or allowed to fail (which in essence would be the same thing). Unfortunately, with the Right screaming socialism at every corner, I am not sure he has the political capital to do what needs to be done, so he goes back to the bailout play book. I detest this course of action, but bow to the inevitability of it. Personally, I think the Right needs to calm down and help do the right thing.

I love the CBO, but in all honesty they are somewhat limited, and why wouldn’t they be, economics is a tricky thing. I do not doubt their numbers, but some of this has nothing to do with numbers. It has to do with giving people hope, and the belief that if they work hard we can get out of this mess.
Many economists believe that FDR was right on track with his own stimulus package, but it was too small. There are many people who think Obama’s stimulus was similarly too small, and I think the current POTUS is on board with these economists – despite the CBO’s comments.

For my part, I think FDR had it right too hence my support of Obama’s efforts.

Regards,
Rick Beagle

While I don’t necessarily disagree that *some* of Obama’s ‘investment’ goals are worth exploring, it’s going to take YEARS, maybe even DECADES for thr work to bear fruit – if at all.

Not the kind of stuff to be put into a budget right after you passed a $1.2 trillion dollar ‘stimulus’, a mortgage bailout, a bank bailout, and there’s already talk of stimulus-2 this year.

BTW, how do you reconcile your position with the fact that the CBO itself forcasts little to no benefit for the stimulus?

From ZFacts

Peace.
Rick Beagle