The Elon Musk Myth Looks to Contaminate Texas

Source: RedState | January 5, 2017 | Seton Motley

The Myth of Elon Musk is that of daring entrepreneur.  An avant garde, cutting edge businessman who sees a little bit further around the curve of the Earth – to get a glimpse of the Next Big Thing before the rest of us are able see it.

The Reality of Elon Musk is that of enormous government money welfare hog.  Perhaps the single largest crony capitalist of all to dig in to Washington, D.C.’s $4-trillion-per-year trough (not to mention his multiple-state-level favoritisms).  By far his greatest success – is his copious extraction of government money and favors.

Government has thus far cut checks to Musk to the tune of $5 billion.  This isn’t Musk original thinking – it is decades-old, tried-and-true welfarism.  Musk shouldn’t be lauded and applauded – he should be ridiculed and dismissed.

One of Musk’s fake companies getting billions in real government money is Tesla Motors.  Tesla produces massively-subsidized electric cars which – even with the federal coin – cost way too much and aren’t purchased by anyone outside of uber-wealthy preening elites:

“(Tesla’s) first model, the Roadster, costing over $100,000 per vehicle, sold only 2,400 actual cars in 31 countries from 2006 until production ended in 2012, despite extensive federal subsidies for electric car purchases.  Its new model, a full-size luxury sedan named the Model S, is doing better, costing about half as much as the Roadster. Tesla sold about 25,000 of these worldwide in 2013….The products are heavily subsidized, by both federal and state tax credits of up to $20,000+ to consumers, and zero emissions credits totaling tens of millions of dollars to the company.”

So much government coin – for so little in sales.  And now the Musk contagion is looking to infest Texas.  Musk wants to insert his Tesla Faux-Motors into the Lone Star State’s retail dealership market.  And is demanding even more cronyism to do it.

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Into all of this mess, in Texas, parachutes Musk – looking for even more cronyism.  Musk wants to sell his Tesla Faux-Motorcars directly to consumers – thereby bypassing Texas’ dealership laws.  Which would yet again give Musk an unequal, favored playing field.

Short of that, Musk wants – and has convinced some on the Texas ideological Right to join him in calling for – the repeal of the franchise laws.  Done unilaterally, this would be a very bad idea.

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So it is with Texas auto dealer franchise laws – and federal antitrust.  Like it has with its immigration woes, Texas should call for federal action – to alleviate its state-level problems.

Less government at the federal level – will allow for less government in Texas.  Free from the further market warping of unilateral action.

And it will have the added benefit of not affording Musk yet another raft of cronyism.

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