Comments senor75 has made

Government Investment

I'd argue government investment, particularly in defense and telecommunications, has been largely responsible for the underlying technologies we enjoy today. These government investments enabled the private sector to build services and applications on top of infrastructure that otherwise could not have existed within private entities investment criteria. The cost of capital and return requirements generally dictated by private equity and vc do not change much but with massive intelligent government spending (and that is the key), they make it easier to hit those numbers with more opportunities. Try getting a VC to look at an investment that will start returning cash 20 years annualized return. The required cash flows are simply enormous when compounded over those times let alone their investors willingness to let the money work that long.

There's a great opportunity right now to address our energy needs. Paulson has earmarked $700 billion for junk. Unfortunately the debate seems to be moving away from whether or not it should be deployed at all to this sector to 'how' it will be deployed to this sector (punitively, etc.). We need more people like Clinton to stand up and demand to be heard instead of insinuate this. Heck, even Ron Paul should on this bandwagon simply from a moral hazard standpoint.

With a more modest $420 billion, we could jump start our energy independence as well as create new jobs and still have $280 billion left over. The Wall Street shadow economy is not what made this country great.

I'm not in total agreement that smart energy policy alone could have avoided this meltdown, but certainly good private opportunities, made available by massive public investment in say energy, medicine, education or other R&D possibly could have.On Bill Clinton says smart energy policy could have avoided the financial meltdown posted 1 year, 2 months ago 10 Responses