Green Energy, Corruption, Reform Conservatism, and the Size of Government

Townhall.com ^ | February 21, 2015 | Daniel J. Mitchell

[Kaslin]

Remember Solyndra, the festering symbol of green-energy corruption that resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money being flushed down the toilet?

And that was just one example. Based on the ratio of energy produced compared to insider enrichment, the entire green-energy racket is a sleazy boondoggle.

For taxpayers, this is a lose-lose situation. They pay to line the pockets of green donors, and they also suffer as government intervention diverts resources in ways that reduce jobs and economic output.

But look at the bright side. Every so often, some of the insider crooks get caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

In a column for the Washington Examiner, the invaluable Tim Carney highlights some of the insider sleaze that led to the resignation of Oregon’s Democratic Governor.

When a love affair begins with shared dreams of solar panels and fantasies of switchgrass, it shouldn’t surprise us that it leads to tears, resignation and federal investigations. Such is the love story of Oregon’s former governor John Kitzhaber and his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes.

Yup, it appears that Ms. Hayes cashed in on her relationship with the governor.

[Vince Ferrer]

Back in the gold rush days, it was rarely the people who staked a mining claim and dug that ended up rich. The people who sold the shovels, however, made out like bandits. Green energy scams is a corrupt version of this. Taxpayers will never get rich, but there are plenty of people will sell the government shovels.

[givemELL]

Back in 2012 there was an article noting 11 other failures along with Solyndra.

Since then there are dozens more that have appeared as failures in articles about the individual failures.

Subsidized energy projects have yet to show successes in my observance. Solyndra is but the most known failure, with little attention paid to any others, which no doubt continue to amass. Govt. subsidized green energy projects have an unsustgainable record.