Tesla Motors Inc. is paying back its government loan of $465 million in full, and nine years early. This is being billed as “a huge boost for the Obama administration and clean energy firms.” Actually it isn’t. It is customary to pay back loans in full, so that is hardly a news item, and…
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Fisker Automotive, Inc, got a federal loan of $529 million to produce its $100,000 Fisker Karma hybrid, built not in America by American workers but in Finland by Finnish workers. Fisker has not produced a car since last summer and recently dumped all its rank and file employees. The company faces bankruptcy and could…
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In 2009 the federal government gave a $249 million grant to A123 Systems, a green energy manufacturer touted by President Obama as an example of “what’s possible in a clean energy economy.” The company used the money to make batteries for electric cars in two Michigan factories. But since 2009 the company lost $857…
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“Solyndra’s power solutions offer strong return on investment and make great business sense.” That is a rather strange claim for the website of Solyndra Inc., accessed on August 29, 2012 no less. Some history is in order. Solyndra was the first renewable energy firm to get federal stimulus money and bagged $535 million in…
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The Wall Street Journal reports in “Ethanol vs. the World: The corn fuel mandate is raising food prices and hurting the poor,” that the massive federal corporate welfare subsidies to corn farmers and mandates for ethanol production are “a man-made disaster that could be stopped if the EPA or others in Washington cared for…
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How much welfare do corporations receive as a direct cash benefit from the U.S. government? According to a recently published Cato Institute policy analysis, it’s nearly 100 billion dollars. We mined the report to visualize which U.S. government agencies or spending categories are the biggest recipients of the largesse of U.S. politicians: The majority…
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In “Firm sells solar panels — to itself, taxpayers pay” in the Washington Examiner, Timothy Carney reports that First Solar has received $17.3 million in corporate-welfare subsidies from the Obama administration and then an additional $455.7 million in loan guarantees from the Export-Import Bank to purchase its own solar panels: A heavily subsidized solar…
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In “Cost of $10 Billion Stimulus Easier to Tally Than New Jobs” in the Wall Street Journal, Ianthe Jeanne Dugan and Justin Scheck report that the mega-billions in corporate-welfare subsidies to solar, wind, geothermal and other “green” businesses (under section 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) have resulted in far…
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Gasoline prices have continued to rise now for 35 straight days. Gas pump prices have climbed for 35 straight days even though industry surveys show Americans have started to drive less. The national average rose by a penny to hit $3.87 per gallon on Tuesday, more than a dollar higher than it was last…
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In “Gasoline up 100% under Obama,” James S. Robbins reports in the Washington Times that: Gas prices have doubled since Mr. Obama took office. According to the GasBuddy gasoline price tracking web site, the price of a gallon of regular gas was around $1.79 when Mr. Obama took office. Today the national average is…
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