I guess you could argue that free-market principles should apply to our national security regarding energy. Certainly we need to allow the free market leeway.
But in another sense, developing new energy sources is a lot like developing a new weapons program. It is a defense for our country, and we don’t usually just let the free market build our defense and then pick and choose.
Still, what I would like is for the government to support the research by GETTING OUT OF THE WAY, by giving tax breaks and freedom from regulation.
However, we live in a country where much of the innovation has been taken over by university and other think tanks which are heavily tied to government funding. Since we are unlikely to fix that in the next 4 years, the next-best thing is to keep that system from discriminating against new energy sources.
>> ...developing new energy sources is a lot like developing a new weapons program. It is a defense for our country, and we don’t usually just let the free market build our defense and then pick and choose.
Slippery slope. Example: food is strategic, so not only farming but food processing and distribution must be centrally planned and controlled. Ditto computer operating systems, semiconductor manufacturing, steel production, ...
>> I would like is for the government to support the research by GETTING OUT OF THE WAY, by giving tax breaks and freedom from regulation.
Uh... giving tax breaks and freedom from regulation to a select few (selected under what criteria, by who?) is NOT “getting out of the way”! You’re on the right track, though. How about tax breaks and freedom from regulation to EVERYONE? ;-)