Disordered Liberty has previously commented on the Solyndra debacle, in which the Department of Energy [DOE] needlessly wasted $535 million of taxpayers’ money on a now-bankrupt solar panel manufacturing firm, notwithstanding the fact that DOE was aware that the firm was in dire financial straits.Â
In his State of the Union Address last Tuesday night, President Obama stressed the need for continued public funding of private sector firms involved in domestic and renewable energy production:Â
And nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy….Â
But with only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, oil isn’t enough. This country needs …

Text of the Republican Response to Obama’s State of the Union Address
Following is the text of last night’s Republican response (given by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels) to the President’s State of the Union Address:Â
The status of ‘loyal opposition’ imposes on those out of power some serious responsibilities: to show respect for the Presidency and its occupant, to express agreement where it exists. Republicans tonight salute our President, for instance, for his aggressive pursuit of the murderers of 9/11, and for bravely backing long overdue changes in public education. I personally would add to that list admiration for the strong family …

Following is the text of last night’s State of the Union Address:Â
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:Â
Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought — and several thousand gave their lives.Â
We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world.  For the first time in nine years, there …

As Disordered Liberty previously reported, last Wednesday President Obama rejected fast-tracking the approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline project, a huge construction project which would carry oil from Alberta, Canada to American refineries in Texas.Â
There are numerous reasons why the President should have immediately approved this project.Â
Fast-track approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline project would provide important domestic benefits for the U.S.Â
1. The U.S. badly needs additional sources of oil. Because of the limited availability and increasingly high prices of imported oil, the price of gasoline in the U.S. has nearly doubled since President Obama took office. Increasing the size …

Yesterday, President Obama rejected fast-tracking the approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline project, a huge construction project which would carry oil from Alberta, Canada to American refineries in Texas.
And which would have created tens of thousands of American jobs.
All at little or no cost to America.
Following is a copy of the text of the President’s Statement:
Earlier today, I received the Secretary of State’s recommendation on the pending application for the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.  As the State Department made clear last month, the rushed and arbitrary deadline insisted on by Congressional Republicans prevented a full assessment of the …

The Greek economy is on life-support.
The country of Greece is on the precipice of financial ruin.Â
Two years of tax increases and wage cuts, designed to aid the declining Greek economy, have largely failed, leaving the private business sector in dire straits. According to the Greek Co-Federation of Chambers of Commerce, nearly 70,000 businesses failed in 2010, and nearly one-sixth of the remaining 300,000 business are close to bankruptcy.Â
And who’s to blame for this looming financial catastrophe?Â
The Greek people.Â
The Greeks are unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices to save their economy.Â
The rapidly failing Greek economy is a victim of the Greek …

Disordered Liberty has previously commented on the Solyndra scandal, in which the Department of Energy [DOE] wasted $535 million of taxpayers’ money, affording the now-bankrupt solar panel manufacturing firm special treatment, which not only may well have been contrary to law, but also occurred notwithstanding the fact that DOE was aware that the firm was in financial decline.Â
Moreover, DOE continued to fund the failing business even as its financial condition worsened.Â
And, of course, it comes as no surprise that prominent Obama fundraisers benefitted from the special treatment given to Solyndra.Â
Now, the Washington Times has reported that Solyndra’s attorneys have filed …

Yesterday, the 26 states challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [Obamacare] filed a brief with the United States Supreme Court regarding the Act’s expansion of Medicaid. The states argue that, because the provision expanding Medicaid, which they contend is unconstitutional, is integral to the Act, the entire Act itself must be struck down.
Following is a copy of the summary of the states’ arguments, taken from their brief:
For the better part of a century, this Court has recognized that the spending power is not “the instrument for total subversion of the governmental powers reserved to the …

Disordered Liberty has commented extensively on the $535 million federal loan guarantee granted to the now-bankrupt California solar manufacturing firm Solyndra.
With regard to that debacle, it appears that the Department of Energy [DOE] approved Solyndra’s initial loan guarantee without adequately investigating, or appreciating, the firm’s true financial condition.
Incredibly, DOE then proceeded to exacerbate the fiscal disaster by subordinating the taxpayers’ financial interests to those of private investors (in a manner which is arguably contrary to law), and by continuing to make payments to Solyndra, even though DOE was aware of the firm’s worsening financial condition.
 
Last summer, DOE similarly conditionally approved …