Congress:
Billions and billions for nuclear power, but not for
hybrid vehicles
Tuesday,
July 31, 2007
No
help for efficient-minded consumers?
"A one-sentence provision buried in the Senate’s
recently passed energy bill, inserted without debate at
the urging of the nuclear power industry, could make
builders of new nuclear plants eligible for tens of
billions of dollars in government loan guarantees."(NYTimes)
This is not the forum for a nuclear energy debate, but it
seems ridiculous that the government's biggest handouts
always go to big business - big businesses that use
billions in tax incentives to achieve billions in profits.
Yet, the benefits provided by these businesses seem to
cost American consumers more and more.
What about giving smart consumers the power to reward
companies that make smart decisions?
Over and over I have been told how important the clean
vehicle tax credit has been to the buyers of hybrid
cars? Yet, Toyota's hybrid
tax credits are essentially expired. Is that how you
reward companies for doing the right thing? More
important, isn't it essential to help citizens and
consumers to make better choices, such as buying more fuel
efficient vehicles?
If it was GM or Ford, rather than Toyota, that was the
hybrid sales leader, would hybrid tax credits still have
been capped by manufacturer? Would they have been capped
at all?
Whether it is Democrats or Republicans, it seems there is
one phrase that best describes America's politicians -
pork-barrel pigs.
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