Barack Obama: Venture Capital Czar

Barack Obama: Venture Capital Czar

A new article in BusinessWeek hails Obama as the new Venture Capitalist-in-Chief.

Oh goodie.

Meet the country’s venture capitalist-in-chief, President Barack Obama. By the end of 2011, the White House plans to channel more than $50 billion to thousands of clean-technology companies through tax credits, low-interest guaranteed loans, and grants. Add in money for a “smart grid,” research, and consumer tax breaks, such as the $7,500 credit for buying an electric car, and the commitment rises to $69 billion.

Obscured by the epic political battles over health care and financial regulation, Obama has turned the government into the chief financier of a manufacturing base for clean-energy technology. He envisions thriving new industries putting Americans to work churning out green products such as high-performance batteries, electric cars, low-energy lights, super-efficient air conditioners, wind turbines, and solar panels.

Great, because central planning is always the recipe for long-term economic success…right?

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