Welcome to Obama's "Green Economy".

Two high profile companies have gone bankrupt in the United States -- government-backed Solyndra and Evergreen -- and analysts anticipate more failures ahead.

"Solyndra was just the beginning," said Jessie Pichel, head of clean energy research at the investment bank Jefferies & Co. "We're going to see a lot of companies go bankrupt."

Just how many? Of the few hundred or so solar panel makers worldwide, just 20 to 40 are expected to remain standing in a few years time, said Mark Bachman, a renewables analyst at Avian Securities.

...

But just as all these new solar panels were making their way to market, the debit crisis hit in Europe. The generous subsidies offered to solar power by European governments and utilities were cut. Demand for solar panels fell.

Plus, solar project developers were having a hard time getting credit to build new power plants, further cutting into demand. Prices for solar panels began falling rapidly.

A year ago solar panels were selling for $1.50 to $2 per watt, said Ramesh Misra, a senior analyst at Brigantine Advisors, a research outfit. Now they sell for half that, and the decline hasn't stopped.

It's almost as if an industry built on government subsidies for producers and industry and government subsidies for consumers is doomed to failure. So naturally the liberal response will be...more subsidies!

Posted by: DrewM at 07:03 AM | Comments (227)
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World central banks might be worried about another "Lehman event" in Europe. The Euro crisis keeps going from bad to worse. EDIT: Teh Bernank to the rescue? Hey, we've got plenty of money, right? If not, we can just print some more! Here's a rule, investors: never gamble with people who can print their own money.

Italian borrowing costs are higher than theyÂ’ve been for more than a decade. This canÂ’t continue for much longer.

The future of jobs. Given that human intelligence and ability fall into a bell curve, it's going to be a tough world for those on the left side of the curve...but really, hasn't that always been the case?

The Great Job Massacre.

Curing the unemployment blues:

If one government program had its rough edges, a second government program could ride to the rescue. Implicit in this argument was the tantalizing, but fatal, assumption of economic abundance: The government has the power to tax, and with that power, has access to a cornucopia of public funds that never runs empty—at least until it does.

10 things that (honest) capitalists really believe.

The Eurozone: 10 days to live?

A credit rating is just an opinion, and often a mistaken one. It is not a performance guarantee, a fact that many financiers and investors either forgot or deliberately ignored. ThereÂ’s no substitute for due diligence as a risk-abatement strategy.

Time was that as a kid Junior would eat all the cookies and beef jerky in the house and leave you none. Then Junior went off into the world and you thought, “Now, I can have the cookies and beef jerky to myself!” Alas, no: Junior has slunk back to the ancestral manse, is camping in the basement, is drinking up all your beer, and is sitting around in his underwear playing Battlefield 3 all day. (I figure we’ve done enough Boomer-bashing lately; let’s bash on some of those thankless lazy good-for-nothing kids for a change.)

When things stop making sense in the bond world, itÂ’s a good sign that a big shock is not far off. The bond markets crave stability above all else, and when the behavior of that system becomes chaotic, it signifies some pretty bad things.

If the Eurozone crisis is worse than it looks, the citizens of that region are in for a world of hurt, because it looks pretty damned bad. (Also, see my post on the bond markets above: when things stop making sense in the bond world, bad things lurk nearby.)

I’ve said it many times: “Europe” is not a nation like the United States is a nation, and it never will be.

Standard & PoorÂ’s to 37 global banks: BAM!

The problem with AmericaÂ’s spending is only partly debt that weÂ’ve already accrued; the bigger problem is future obligations -- in particular Social Security and Medicare.

McConnell two days ago: “I say no to an extension of the payroll tax holiday!” McConnell yesterday: “I give an extension of the payroll tax holiday a good, firm maybe.” I always love to see a public servant of stout conviction and firm principle. It gives me hope for the future.

UPDATE 1: Those crazy kids from Taiwan explain the Euro crisis to you as only they can.

UPDATE 2: For many heavily-indebted cities, even bankruptcy may not provide an escape from their problems.
more...

Posted by: Monty at 04:47 AM | Comments (255)
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Some news items to get you started:

Police have mostly cleared out Occupy L.A. The city is officially "renovating" the park for the conceivable future. As of 30 minutes ago, there had been 104 arrests and 2 minor use-of-force incidents.

In the Senate, a bipartisan vote kills the progressives' attempt to strip a measure from the defense bill that will put most Al Qaeda terrorists in military custody. Obama bitterly opposes keeping Al Qaeda detainees in exclusive military custody and has vowed to veto the bill. Cloture vote is scheduled for today, with final passage predicted for tomorrow.

It will be telling if Obama goes through with a veto. As with his desire to close Gitmo, a majority of public is against him. He flinched on Gitmo. Complicating his decision now is that he risks further alienating his progressive base just as the election winds up. And if he truly is abandoning the white, middle class in favor of a coalition of the yuppified progressive elite and minority groups, he's going to have to throw them a bone every now and then. This explains his recent anti-prosperity Keystone XL decision.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 03:00 AM | Comments (170)
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Yeah it works better in the commercial than in print. more...

Posted by: Ace at 08:51 PM | Comments (69)
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50 Things Every 18-Year-Old Should Know

Well this list is more general principles and advice than specific skills. Though I would add to the mix being able to change a tire without assistance and general first aid plus CPR. You may not need these skills very often but when you do, you'll probably need them very badly.

Oh and learn to type. If I had known how much of my later life would be spent pecking at a keyboard, I would have skipped computer programming in high school and taken typing instead.

9) College is a lot more work than high school and your job will be a lot more work than college was.

10) Start looking for a new job BEFORE you quit your old job.

16) If you're not happy with the job market, the government, or the schools in your area, remember that you can always move to another city or another state. Lots of Americans do just that every year.

17) "I wish that I had known to check the oil in my vehicles and to have changed it regularly. It would have saved a lot of money that I spent on repairs -- directly due to my lack of changing the oil per the mechanic." -- Ann H.

34) If you get into a business deal with someone who goes to unusual lengths to convince you of how honest or Christian they are, watch your wallet and make sure you have an iron clad contract. They "doth protest too much."

35) "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." - Jim Rohn

39) Nobody owes you a living.

40) You are not a victim.

Posted by: Maetenloch at 05:51 PM | Comments (809)
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Here. "An ambitious young man," Ayers thought.

Ambitious, but not industrious.

In other Blasts From the Past -- although it was widely known already that Obama took the title of his one book (he only actually wrote one) Audacity of Hope from his pastor and "spiritual adviser" Jeremiah "God Damn America" Wright, video of Obama stating this has just surfaced.

Bonus: Eric Holder tells the Daily Caller to stop reporting on calls for his resignation, claiming that the desire to remove him from office is not "organic," but rather contrived by "you guys," meaning the Daily Caller, or Republicans, or the conservative-leaning media.

Or something.

Posted by: Ace at 02:31 PM | Comments (315)
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...if that's who you actually want. Don't look for surrogates; vote for the person you actually want.

C4P is running an ad in Iowa urging Palinites to draft Palin via the write-in, and for once -- finally -- I agree. more...

Posted by: Ace at 01:59 PM | Comments (377)
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*slippin this in between posts, I hope.

It's been a dismal NFL season, and by that I mean I cannot get a break. Not one. Dallas won two in a row, didn't cover.

I'm beginning to suspect it's you, and not me.

SO here are Ben and CDR M's reports...

Omega Theta Pi

Muletrain2016 103
CountryBlumkins 97
Purity Repulican 96
Portnoy: 95
FMG: 95
Scott: 95
Chemwonk: 95
Moochelle's Large Butt: 95

Delta Tau Chi

RD Brewer: 92
DrewM 90
Russ from Winterset: 89
Gabe Malor 89
Ben 87
Andy 86
CDR M: 85
DiT 78

My advice to you all, is to start drinking heavily.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 01:46 PM | Comments (27)
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This has been mentioned a lot here. It's not really my own pet theory; it's cobloggers' and commenters'.

A Time writer makes the case:

Michele Bachmann abruptly canceled scheduled events in Iowa on Tuesday to do nine conservative and Christian radio programs. Her No. 1 topic? Newt GingrichÂ’s soft stance on immigration. Which candidate does this most help? Mitt Romney.

Throughout the summer and fall, Romney has hardly needed to attack any of his rivals; Bachmann has done it for him. When Rick Perry was rising in the polls, it was Bachmann who went after him for supporting a HPV vaccine mandate. When Herman Cain was on the ascent it was Bachmann who shot down his 9-9-9 plan and his “inconsistencies.”

Sure, the Minnesota congresswoman has taken an occasional dig at Romney. On Nov. 9 she called him a “frugal socialist.” But in debates and in comparison to the vehemence with which she’s attacked other rivals, she’s gone easy on Romney. In fact, the two seem to have a pact of mutual non-aggression. Remember that roundtable debate last month when Romney lobbed that softball question to Bachmann about her jobs program?

If BachmannÂ’s former campaign manager Ed Rollins is to be believed, sheÂ’s gunning to be RomneyÂ’s No. 2.

I had never heard that Ed Rollins claimed that. It's not a solid thing -- it's that he reportedly told "associates" this (i.e., it's second-hand at best).

But, yeah, it is strange that Bachmann is essentially debuting for the role of Mitt's attack dog.

What's especially interesting is that Bachmann signs up so willingly for Sacrifice Attacks. Some attacks are kind of over the top and involve a lot of blowback; they hurt the person making them as much or more than the target of the attack.

Gardasil, for example. That more or less took Bachmann out of things.

And that wasn't entirely unforeseeable. A lot of people -- including Republicans -- are not so jazzed about the anti-vax swamp that a lot of the animus there seemed to be coming from. And her cloyingly emotional appeal -- "Little. Girls." -- came off as shameless.

Plus, her convenient My Daughter Came Out a Retard mystery witness.

But still she made the attack.

Did that help her?

Not really. It did begin to damage Rick Perry. But that attack damaged two of Mitt's rivals. Pretty good for Mitt.

My own opinion is that my enthusiasm for a Romney ticket could scarcely be any lower... unless it was a Romney-Bachmann ticket. In which case it would be as low as possible.

Via @allahpundit and @baseballcrank.

Posted by: Ace at 12:48 PM | Comments (320)
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These are pretty damn fine points.

Here's number one:

If you want to sell a pie, you need a good hook: Cain has taken a lot of heat over how often he mentions his 9-9-9 plan, but itÂ’s beating the stuffing out of all the other candidatesÂ’ plans right now. Why? Because Cain, a corporate marketing expert, knows deep in his bones what most politicians still canÂ’t figure out: if you want people to remember you, you have to give them something simple on which to hang that memory. ThereÂ’s a corollary here, by the way, that probably should get its own point: If you donÂ’t build the hooks for your campaign, your competition will, and they wonÂ’t be good.

Mitt Romney has a fine economic plan, but it’s spread out over 59 points and has no unifying theme he can put into one short sentence. Rick Perry has a strong three-pillar plan but his hook, “Cut, Balance, and Grow”, is not only boring but so close to “Cut, Cap, and Balance” that it makes him look lazy and unimaginative. Newt Gingrich knows how to write a good hook — remember “Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less”? — but he hasn’t gotten around to writing a good one for his own plan.

Cain put a strong hook in front of a plan that turned out to be less than half as comprehensive than any of the other candidatesÂ’ plans and his is the one that still dominates the tax reform discussion.

Point 2 is keep it positive -- I guess I agree with that, generally -- and Point 3 is related to point 1: If you want your supporters to sell your plan, you'd better sell it strongly yourself (Nine! Nine! Nine!), and not just treat it like a Check That Box thing to get out of the way, just to say you have a plan.

Posted by: Ace at 12:10 PM | Comments (212)
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