Debating the value of green subsidies
Summary: At a Churchill Club event in Menlo Park, Calif., Ira Ehrenpreis of Technology Partners moderates a discussion on the role of government in subsidizing green-technology ventures. The panelists are Mike Biddle, CEO at MBA Polymers; Jennifer Fonstad, managing director at Draper Fisher Jurvetson; Dirk Michels, partner at K&L Gates; and John Woolard, CEO of BrightSource Energy.
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Talkback
It pisses me off!
people building businesses thinking they
understand market forces start claiming the government should TAX another company
DIFFERENTLY because its "not fair". Thats
bullshit.
Yes, we need to cut down on pollution
Yes, we need to be thrifty with are resources
Yes, we need to find ways to encourage growth
in companies that support moral use of our
planet
NO! THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT BE INVOLVED IN
THAT SENSE!
When has a government NOT screwed up something
it meddled with. Sure it might work short term,
give us some money so we can jump start our
business, take money away from the competition
so we can compete.
Thats cheating, and a cheat is ALWAYS a FAIL!
(And not all "green" companies or products are
ACTUALLY green. Most of them just shift the
burden from one market to another. The prius is
one of them. Anyone buying a Prius to "save the
environment" didn't do their homework and has
added an increase to the so called "carbon
footprint")
(and the "carbon footprint" is just a political
rally point anyways and really should not be
used by people who REALLY care about their
environment.)