Free Republic

in a major policy reversal, Carson .. no longer supports subsidies for any industry, including U.S. ethanol producers ... Plainly irritated, the ethanol industry shot back immediately, saying it receives no government subsidies. But it neglected to mention a very important fact. Instead of subsidies, ethanol producers get something better: a mandate that orders refiners to blend ethanol into motor fuels which forces consumers to buy their product. A federally guaranteed market beats a subsidy every time. The ethanol industry also benefits indirectly from agriculture programs that support farmers who grow corn for ethanol ... In attempt to push more...

Consumers considering installing solar panels on their rooftops have far more to think through than the initial decision to “go solar.” They may search for the best price, only to discover, as customers in central Florida did, that after paying $20,000-40,000 for their systems, they are stuck with installations that may be unusable or unsafe. BlueChip Energy—which also operated as Advanced Solar Photonics (ASP) and SunHouse Solar—sold its systems at environmental festivals and home shows. Buyers thought they were getting a good deal and doing the right thing for the environment. Instead, they were duped. A year ago, it was...