Texas Governor Proposes $5k/Volt Tax Credit

Leave it to a Texan to spin a subsidy of plug-in hybrids as a “damn the greenies and all things Washington, DC” move. Hard to believe, but that is what Gov. Rick Perry just did in his recent State of the State address. It’s an entertaining read for those who enjoy reading between the lines. Perry starts by decrying big spending interventionist government; then goes on to ask for more money for the state’s Emerging Technology Fund, Film Incentives, Enterprise Fund, Skills Development Fund, the Texas Grant Program, the Workforce Commission’s Skills Development Fund …. well, you get the idea. But wait, this is The Truth About Cars, not The Truth About Government (someone start that site, ‘kay?).

Rather than wait for more mandates and punishments for environmental non-attainment, let’s continue encouraging innovation. I support giving Texans in the non-attainment areas of our state a $5,000 incentive towards a purchase of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles.”

Damn those infernal interfering bureaucrats in Washington, let’s do our own greenwashing before they even ask us to! Since there aren’t any plug-in hybrids for sale yet we can look like we are taking bold action while actually not spending a dime.

But wait, to power these subsidized plug-in hybrids, Texas will need new nuclear plants, zillions of windmills and massive transmission lines to connect them all. Some pesky private property owners keep getting in the way of the Texas Central Committee’s vision, hence “eminent domain will play a role in this effort.”

It takes a real master to pitch more government spending, government led industrial policy, the taking of private property through eminent domain and plug-in hybrid subsidies as conservatism. God Bless Texas.