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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mary Cluney who wrote (9560)	9/16/2009 11:35:39 AM
From: i-node	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

Let’s see: five are in Germany, four are in China, one is in Spain, one is in India, one is in Italy, one is in Taiwan and one is even in Abu Dhabi. I suggested a new company motto for Applied Materials’s solar business: “Invented here, sold there.” The reason that all these other countries are building solar-panel industries today is because most of their governments have put in place the three perquisites for growing a renewable energy industry: 1) any business or homeowner can generate solar energy; 2) if they decide to do so, the power utility has to connect them to the grid; and 3) the utility has to buy the power for a predictable period at a price that is a no-brainer good deal for the family or business putting the solar panels on their rooftop. Tom left out the REAL reason -- that the US corporate tax rates are amongst the highest in the world and that regulation of every aspect of business in the US is out of control. That every one of the countries listed is easier and less expensive to do business in than the US. While the United States will increase tax rates in the coming year (by the mere expiration of the Bush tax cuts), countries all over the world are busy CUTTING tax rates to make their countries more amenable to business. Tom conveniently forgot to mention that fact....

To: Mary Cluney who wrote (9560)	9/16/2009 2:43:50 PM
From: skinowski	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

Thanks, interesting story. 1) any business or homeowner can generate solar energy; 2) if they decide to do so, the power utility has to connect them to the grid; and 3) the utility has to buy the power for a predictable period at a price that is a no-brainer good deal for the family or business putting the solar panels on their rooftop. Let's take a look. The "no-brainer good deal" means that government is mandating what it is likely to be a "no-brainer bad deal" for the utility in question. The utility does not print money - it earns it from providing a service to what "normally" is a captive audience. The utility will have no choice but to pass on the costs of subsidizing solar panels to the population they serve. This means that many people will not buy clothes they want, they wil not take family vacations, they will not buy shares of AMAT.... etc., etc. Everything has a price, even when it is sold as a "no-brainer good deal". Same thing is true about healthcare - our government keeps coming up with thousands of various rigid mandates and regulations. This is done in lieu of people having a choice of packages which might fit their needs better. Net result -- some lose, some win. More likely than not, in many situations resources end up being misallocated. ....My work schedule is rudely interfering with my participation in all these fascinating discussions... I see things I'd like to discuss, posts I'd like to reply to... Will keep joining y'all every chance I get... :)