**Energy was founded in late 2008 by the world’s top ethanol producer — the South Dakota based POET group — and other fuel companies to promote the use of the alternative fuel.**
Bearing in mind - these are JOB and energy PRODUCERS - and using American sources of energy. You might not like ethanol as an alternative to oil/gas - but these people put their money where their mouth are - it’s called capitalism.
They hired a knowlegeable individual with respect to government regulation and the players in Congress. I suspect if you were a risk taker - you would want someone like Newt on your side and be willing to pay for his expertise.
The problem is it was done on the backs of taxpayers with government subsidies.
Why is the government picking which particular business should do better against the others? And use the tax dollars of the competitors to build the success?
Actually, not where their money.
They were lobbying for taxpayer money to be used for their inefficient energy source. Without subsidies, this business is useless.
Just like Solyndra. Gov hands out taxpayer money to inefficient technology.
Tea Party should have hired Newt similarly to speak against big gov initiatives. We were late.
It’s not called capitalism you moron. When the gov’t FORCES us to buy an inferior product, when the gov’t slaps a 50cent a gallon tariff on imported ethanol, and when the gov’t offers MASSIVE tax breaks to ethanol producers, what you get is more akin to the command economy of the USSR than free market capitalism.
I recommend you read Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom if you want to actually educate yourself on what a free market economy looks like and how when gov’t inserts itself in the conomy, bad things are bound to happen.
>> a knowlegeable individual with respect to government regulation and the players in Congress <<
But of course, he certainly wasn’t a “lobbyist” for these folks. Just a hardworking historian, doncha know!