Solar subsidies

When I graduated from High School, it was my plan to go into the Air Force and go to college on the GI Bill but unfortunately the Bill was discontinued. When I asked how this was possible the Sargent told me, son the government giveth and government taketh away and this was a lesson I never forgot. Last fall I wrote about a case in Nevada saying, The government has a program which provides incentives for people to place solar panels on the roofs of their homes and in the low usage times the home owner can sell the excess energy back to the power company. Now the people who purchase these panels are in the upper income groups while lower income people cannot afford the investment in panels. The result is that lower income people are subsidizing the higher income people and this is basically a transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich. The black caucus has brought this to the attention of congress but the environmentalist lobby has thwarted any action to remedy this situation. They cannot discontinue the subsidies to those who purchase solar panels because most people would not buy them without government financial assistance. Here is a news item from today. For years, Nevada taxpayers have spent millions subsidizing homeowners who install rooftop solar panels – but that’s about to end. In a controversial decision, the state is phasing out that subsidy over the next 12 years, a move being met with protests, lawsuits and even a failed bid to put the issue before voters. Last week, Nevada's Supreme Court ruled that a referendum from solar activists challenging the decision would not be allowed on the November ballot.