September 1, 2011

For those of you concerned about the Solyndra bankruptcy, I can explain it in a sentence: The Chinese have outcompeted the USA, yet again, in manufacturing, and as a result, another American company shuts down because it cannot compete with the dropping price of, in this case, solar energy.

It’s unfortunate that the US is being outcompeted on solar manufacturing, even as energy independence becomes a more urgent priority.  Oil, at best, is a short term solution.  It can be done, but Americans haven’t found a way to make solar power as cheaply as foreign competitors.  The US should take this as a challenge to work harder, better, and faster, so that we can achieve energy independence.

The price of green energy is actually falling all over the world, but many Americans remain unaware, because this topic is unpopular with American media (except for tiny voices like this). People don’t like hearing what they don’t want to hear.

Some Americans say drill baby drill, but I say, invest!

In manufacturing, to be specific!  It’s what the Chinese have done.

In American economics, they worship at the altar of the GDP.  It’s the only relevant measuring stick, in their opinion.

Better than simply counting profit, which isn’t always a good quantifier of gain, think about what you actually do.  In America, we trade information.  Whether it’s stocks on wall street, titles to property, or anything online, America sells information.  To each other, to the world, whatever.  It’s our primary export.  But what do we actually do that moves atoms on Earth?

A country that makes tangible goods will always be ahead of a country that makes information.  Information can be copied, that’s the point of information.  On information, the Chinese will always be a step behind, but never more than that.

The Space Shuttle wasn’t profitable, so it’s being defunded.  Apparently, we need clear and present danger before we can justify spending money on sending humans into space, aka that big empty area above us where satellites live.  Oil, however, is profitable…

…and sooner or later we’ll probably have an ocean of it.

But educating poor people isn’t profitable, so we don’t do that either.  Prisons, however, are profitable, and flourish in this country like none other.

Building tall buildings isn’t profitable for big business, so the tallest building in the USA is now the “Willis Tower,” a monument to failed 20th century economics.

America thinks they’re very special, and why?  Because we used to make a lot of stuff here?  Like, in World War 2?  It’s not at all about having a strong military, it’s about being able to build one very quickly – the second great war taught us this if nothing else.  China has this ability now, and America does not.

The Chinese have showed us, not told us, that the competition is on.  Who can better move the atoms of our Earth, better create, better control our reality?

It’s the space race of the 21st Century, and America needs to start working.

America has one course of action that can lift us out of this rut – robotic manufacturing – aka, 3d printing.

It needs investment.  Massive, massive investment.

Think I’m crazy?  I have strong allies in my corner…

“Eccentricity has always abounded when and where strength of character had abounded; and the amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigor, and courage which it contained.”

- John Stuart Mill

What I’m writing here, I acknowledge, is not what you will find in the mainstream.  That’s the point.  If you, like most other people, agree that the “main stream” is going in the wrong direction, then by natural deduction, you require yourself to be open to ideas like this.  Most news articles I read state some facts, and then state some opinion about them.  Few articles I’ve found state a problem and state a solution in the same article.  Apparently, that’s a lot to ask.  So when I criticize, I offer up a viable alternative.  It’s not complaining if you present a better option.