The idea that politicians know better than the free marketplace when it comes to allocating resources has been the driving force for some of the most destructive and deadly philosophies of the past 200 years. So why does it remain a bedrock principle of progressive governance?
President Joe Biden and his secretary of commerce recently announced the distribution of $1 billion in federal grants to various special interests. The money was part of the $1.9 trillion inflationary coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress in March 2021. The Associated Press reports that the money will go to 21 recipients “chosen from 529 initial applicants.”
The lucky few include “$65.1 million for California to improve farm production and $25 million for a robotics cluster in Nebraska,” the wire service says. “Georgia gets $65 million for artificial intelligence. There is $63.7 million for lithium-based battery development in New York. Coal counties in West Virginia would receive $62.8 million to help with the shift to solar power.”
