Solyndra
Here's an interesting thought. The Solyndra investment was a part of a 20 billion investment in alternative energy. approximately 500 million went bad. Sure, that's a loss ratio of .025%.
Wait, what's that? A loss of -2.5% ROA for a corporation is pretty bad, but in the short term survivable... especially if some of the rest of those make a profit for the government, and considering the fact that it's a start up venture, new industry, etc. If you added up the losses on all the businesses and individuals investing in that industry, I bet the loss ratio would be worse. If people want government to run like a business, and comment in that way, then they should consider these things like a business: some ventures will fail, others will succeed. It seems that some people want every government venture to not lose money, whereas losses are acceptable in investment deals.
The inefficiencies and the people (bureaucrats) being promoted to the level of their incompetence, that I can do without. But the occasional risk-taking? That's what both business and government are about. Business on the side of profit, government on the side of society-wide projects that, in the short term, would not be profitable enough for any person or group of people to want to bear the risk in order to accomplish the positive externalities to the rest of society.
Wait, what's that? A loss of -2.5% ROA for a corporation is pretty bad, but in the short term survivable... especially if some of the rest of those make a profit for the government, and considering the fact that it's a start up venture, new industry, etc. If you added up the losses on all the businesses and individuals investing in that industry, I bet the loss ratio would be worse. If people want government to run like a business, and comment in that way, then they should consider these things like a business: some ventures will fail, others will succeed. It seems that some people want every government venture to not lose money, whereas losses are acceptable in investment deals.
The inefficiencies and the people (bureaucrats) being promoted to the level of their incompetence, that I can do without. But the occasional risk-taking? That's what both business and government are about. Business on the side of profit, government on the side of society-wide projects that, in the short term, would not be profitable enough for any person or group of people to want to bear the risk in order to accomplish the positive externalities to the rest of society.