Return to Capitalistic Entrepreneurism is Way Overdue

It is time we push our governments (from federal to state to local) to lift the restrictions on exploiting all our available resources and stop trying to artificially create an economy. A Mass. 'Clean Energy' Plant is closing after $58 million in state aid. Evergreen Solar calls itself a victim of weak demand and competition from cheaper suppliers in China. A major reason for low demand is that business and individuals realize that switching to solar energy is a huge investment (that may or may not be pay off) and not a prudent move in an uncertain economy. Unemployment hovering around 10%, prices constantly going up (due largely to cost of oil being pushed up by OPEC), and a financial system constantly being manipulated by the government and the chosen few (favored by the government) are not conditions for investment in anything but the bare necessities.

Evergreen Solar is not an isolated case. Every time a government meddles with business the economic deteriorates. A robust economy works best in a supply and demand environment, not with artificial stimulants. We watched a huge experiment that spanned half the world, took forty years, made millions of people miserable, killed countless number of people, and in the end failed. How many times and ways will people keep banking their heads against the wall before they realize that all they are accomplishing is a massive headache?

While we develop new sources of energy (and new means of using it) we need to exploit the resources that are readily available. This will lower the price of energy and provide the profits to invest in research and development to get to where we need to be. Restricting our economy only makes it harder and eventually impossible to achieve our goals. We need to be smart about it and not deny the opportunity to succeed. Success will come via ingenuity by individuals free to experiment, try, fail, and succeed.