Al Gore's Hand in Your Pocket

Government gambles with taxpayer money it doesn't have on a car that may never sell.

By Dan Kennedy
Business & Media Institute
 
Gee, wasn’t it Obama who swore to end the influence of lobbyists in government?

So we should believe that Al Gore is not a big, fat lobbyist. It is pure coincidence that the start-up electric car company Gore is invested in and backing got a $529-million U.S. government “loan” to further development of its intended super fuel-efficient hybrid cars.

The first of those cars, humorously called the Karma, will sell for about $90,000. Later the company hopes – Obama’s favorite strategy – that it will be able to build a more affordable $40,000 version, but there aren’t even any plans on the drawing board for it yet. It’s just a thought. Oh, and a bunch of the work on the car is occurring in Finland. As far as I know, Finland has not loaned them $529-million. Perhaps that’s why it’s so tough to find those jobs Obama’s stimulus saved or created – they’re in Finland.

This company, Fisker Automotive, not only has Jolly Green Giant Gore as investor, backer and advocate (ie. lobbyist), its other top investors include major “bundlers” of millions of dollars of campaign donations for Obama. Coincidence abounds.

The car is a pipe dream. If it had legitimate marketplace potential, there’d be no need to...... READ MORE