Comments about ‘Deroy Murdock: Solyndra is only part of the 'green jobs' scandal’

So the solution must be to throw money at the oil, coal and other fossil fuel industries that has led to the environmental chaos the world now faces, right? The claims in this piece have some merit, but change is difficult, and greedy individuals are the problem, NOT President Obama. And "green jobs" will be the way of the future, if there is a future.

Failed green energy companies are disconcerting, especially given their federal support. However, the realities of emerging industries involves the shake-out of weaker players.

Additionally, NOT investing into future energy wouldn't be prudent, given our existing energy situation.

Our oil dependency depletes our economy hundreds of billions of dollars each year going to countries run by despots and dictators (okay, women can vote now in one of these countries). Our military spends billions on escorting oil tankers out of this region and running military bases guarding foreign oil fields. And the greatest deaths and casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan have been from attacks on security forces escorting fuel and oil convoys to our troops. Our enemies see oil as the prime target in picking off our soldiers.

Oil is at the heart of America's economic, military, and geopolitical woes.

Now, given that energy is not a "free market" (you and I have no alternative but to buy oil for our cars and power from our monopoly utilities), government policies, investments, and tax incentives are necessary to move society beyond oil and fossil fuels.

How about writing some green energy success stories for viewing this "scandal" in context?

Solyndra isn't a problem, it's a solution. What's wrong with a company trying an alternative energy approach? Solyndra people took a risk, and I thought that's what the free market was all about...risk! The gov't, like any investor, took a gamble and lost on this one. So? Isn't that what investment is all about? Those who argue from this one instance that we shouldn't invest in green energy are foolish -- it's like saying you shouldn't invest in stocks because of one company failed.

Wow!, There is a great article today in the NYtimes about the difference between the great depression and todays recession. In a nut shell during the great depression the cyclical situation was disasterous but the secular (structural) situation was world changing. While unemployment was high during the 30's and 40's televison was created, nylon stockings were invented, home appliances were beginning to be mass produced, our infrastructure was improved. All structural changes that enabled a boom in the 50's. What do we have today, and for that matter the past decade..nothing, except Republicans screaming about the scandal of trying to develop green/sustainable energy, while at the same time chanting drill baby drill.

Thomas Friedman has just published a book that is about the same issue. He pretty much says the same thing except in book form and with solutions. America is getting hammered in the global economy in both skilled and unskilled jobs. The only thing America is better at is arbitrage..thus the rich get richer and America is being left behind.

Are there any successes in so called green jobs?????

The free market is great when you risk your own money. Solyndra was questionable from the beginning according to White House e-mails. People will be more prudent and careful with money when it is their own and not millions thrown at them. From what I heard they were updating all their equipment when they had solar panels just sitting around not being sold. The panels were more expensive than what people could get from other countries. I believe in Americans and know we can develop new things and be competitive.

The really sad part is that the green jobs scandal of all of the green jobs in America is only a tiny part of the real, main, disastrous, continuous, criminal rip off of taxpayers by every government entity across America.

The real scandal is the regular ongoing use of government and it taxpayer money to finance private enterprise. Shady politicians in league with criminal businessmen are hard at work to find ways to have the public taxpayer pay for their attempts to get rich. Public transportation, ball stadiums, theatres, and all sorts of real estate development along with internet scams and others too numerous to name. The urge to get rich greatly overpowers any statesmen feeling that might occur.

The only way to slow or stop the taxpayer rip off in commercial scams is to get business out of government. Stop allowing business to give money to political campaigns, Stop allowing business, unions, associations, churches and any collective to use their wealth to influence the actions of government.

Failure to do this will return us to the world prior to our own revolution.

Stick with drill, baby, drill!! Oil is bound to become more plentiful, cleaner and cheaper.

What's wrong with investing in alternative fuels? Sometimes it works, sometimes it will fail.

If we gave up at the first failure in the 50s and 60s, we would have never landed on the moon.

There are no green energy job success stories, unless you are referring to China, where green jobs flourish because of American subsidies.

The real story is actually much worse than portrayed by Murdock in this article.

The Labor Department has a $50 million green job training program. In a recent report, the Department's Inspector General called the program a failure, citing the fact that only 10% of the participants actually got a green job.

Another reason why green energy will never be more than a pipe dream.

maverick

Who invested in alternative fuels? Thats right and you and me had absolutely no say in the decision to spend (invest) our money in that company.

Besides, this push towards green is fraught with economy destroying investments of our childrens money. Its mostly a scam to redistribute the wealth of America to those that are deemed more worthy of the fruits of our labor. Great plan, Karl!

So only look at the black spot on the elephant's toenail.

Re: embarrassed Utahn! | 5:26 a.m. Oct. 9, 2011

How does dumping perfectly good money down the toilet into a failing corporation like Solyndra benefit anybody?

It was oil, coal and other fossil fuels that got us away from the horse and buggy era. If there is a future we can thank these fuels for getting us there.