Quote Originally Posted by seattlesmoke247
The government is needed for alternative energy. We can have 120 different companies reinventing the lightbulb, or we can put 120 companies together and get somewhere. The government must organize it.. Oil companies aren't going to put themselves out of buisness before they have to, and when they do it will take us down with them.
Your example is the exact reason why we don't need the government. If there are 120 companies working on something, than there will be an abundance of different choices. Some will be terrible technologies and will be forgotten, others on the other hand will be superior and mass produced. If the government creates the light bulb, it may have a life of 3 hours as opposed to one that can last 10 years.

If you have one group working on a problem, you get one solution. If you have multiple groups working independently on the same problem, you get many different solutions. I don't see how this is complicated to understand. The one solution may not even work, however, it is far more likely one of many solutions discovered will be beneficial.

What you are talking about is taking your entire life savings to the casino and placing an all or nothing bet on red-25.

Yes they will risk their businesses because it means going out of business if they don't. Typically business owners are risk takers, some more than others. That is how the free market works. You take big calculated risks in order to get BIG rewards.

If we keep handing out money to them they won't risk their own because they don't have to.
JaggedEdge Reviewed by JaggedEdge on . We don't need the government to invest in alternative fuels. The Obama administration keeps mentioning how important it is for us to invest in alternative fuels, unfortunately, they aren't needed in this area. The reason our system works is the private sector works these things out on it's own. Do you honestly believe the automakers aren't aware we will run out of oil in the next 30 years or so? Do you honestly believe they will remain idle while they are run out of business? No, they will adapt. They will improve alternative fuel technology, because Rating: 5