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Chevy Volt a Failure - GM to Layoff 1,300

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Evil Bastard (aka Chris_L), Mar 2, 2012.

Page 148 of 244
  1. da man

    da man Well-Known Member

    That's why I mentioned it was unfair to lump SpaceX in with Tesla and SolarCity. Like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, et al, most of SpaceX's government money comes from contracts for it to provide hardware and services in exchange for that money.

    Tesla and SolarCity, on the other hand, receive money for nothing. And, as noted in the LA Times story, both are still reporting net losses after a decade in business.

    And as for why Musk was "singled out" by the LA Times, this from the story:

    "Subsidies are handed out in all kinds of industries, with U.S. corporations collecting tens of billions of dollars each year, according to Good Jobs First, a nonprofit that tracks government subsidies. And the incentives for solar panels and electric cars are available to all companies that sell them.

    "But public subsidies for Musk's companies stand out both for the amount, relative to the size of the companies, and for their dependence on them."
     
    da man, Jun 1, 2015
    #1765
  2. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member

    Musk is a visionary who has been willing to take huge risk in emerging technologies that seek to reduce carbon emissions. He understands fully that there are "subsidies" made available by the government specifically to help mitigate some of that risk (because we have decided that we want to incent the development of these technologies) and that there are still other "subsidies" available to any company willing to build a plant or factory or employ people somewhere. Are there companies that do not take advantage of all of the "subsidies" available to them?
     
    cranberry, Jun 1, 2015
    #1766
  3. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    The Deputy business editor from the LA Times just went on CNBC regarding Musk's interview earlier. He was awesome. If they put a clip up online, I will link to it. At the end he was asked, "Is there anything you would change about the article based on anything Musk said?" his answer was something like, "Well, I'd love it if he had actually responded to our inquiries, instead of doing 3 minutes on TV attacking us afterward. But it's easier to do a 3 minute soundbite with you than to spend an hour with a veteran print reporter asking detailed questions."
     
    The Big Ragu, Jun 1, 2015
    #1767
    doctorquant likes this.
  4. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    Wonder if this organization's research would pass muster with Baron ...
     
    doctorquant, Jun 1, 2015
    #1768
  5. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    His whole business strategy revolves around those subsidies -- and he doesn't just avail himself of something that happens to be there. The business development head is Diarmuid O'Connell who went right from a state department job into a job with Tesla to lobby the government to create and give Tesla subsidies. As Phil Lebeau just said on CNBC, Musk incubates high-risk "green" technologies using public funds. That is the business strategy.
     
    The Big Ragu, Jun 1, 2015
    #1769
  6. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    So was this guy ...

    [​IMG]

     
    doctorquant, Jun 1, 2015
    #1770
  7. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member

    So?
     
    cranberry, Jun 1, 2015
    #1771
  8. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    In other bailiwicks, cranberry, that's called gambling with other people's money. Somehow those instances consistently raised your hackles. I wonder what it is about Musk's approach that rubs you the right way?
     
    doctorquant, Jun 1, 2015
    #1772
  9. da man

    da man Well-Known Member

    NFL owners do the same thing with their stadiums.
     
    da man, Jun 1, 2015
    #1773
  10. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member

    He's gambling with a combination of public and private funds, including much of his own, as I understand it. I have no trouble with his companies taking advantage of subsidies and grants available to any company.

    Can you actually name one of these instances that have "consistently raised my hackles" or are you just making shit up again?
     
    cranberry, Jun 1, 2015
    #1774
  11. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    You posted about the subsides available to him that he just happens to avail himself of. I pointed the reality -- that he buys those subsidies -- in the game of legalized graft that pretty much cyrstalizes where our country has gone wrong. I actually didn't even mention all the money he sprinkles into various political campaigns, either, to buy his influence.

    And yes, it is gambling with other people's money, as DQ said. But if you want to talk about "innovation," then let's consider all of the actually innovative things that were VIABLE on their own -- that never stood a chance, because billions of dollars of capital were diverted from the capital markets because of the graft you endorse.
     
    The Big Ragu, Jun 1, 2015
    #1775
  12. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Available to any company? Great! I'll take my half billion dollar loan that requires no collateral. Do you need me to tell you where to mail the check?
     
    The Big Ragu, Jun 1, 2015
    #1776
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