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Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

whitehouse.gov

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Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#41

Post by ryanackley »

timjahn wrote: post #18

Throwing $2B at startups isn't going to create a new generation of entrepreneurs. 1. Fix the healthcare system. Right now, you're punished if you don't work for a large company in the sense that you're charged up the wazoo for health insurance. Work for a large company and it's close to free. 2. Fix student loans. One could argue don't go to college but I think we can agree there's some value to good schools. 3. Educ…

fix student loans

I put myself through school on a student loan. I was very grateful for it. I was charged a reasonable tax deductible interest rate. So I'm curious about what is actually broken?

Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#42

Post by anigbrowl »

paul wrote: post #13

Fixing the immigration and patent systems would be infinitely more helpful (i.e. stop getting in the way).

Congress has to do that, the executive branch can't. To the extent that the executive branch is streamlining the existing immigration system, they're being derided as amnesty-offering traitors by the xenophobic know-nothings that want Berlin Wall 2.0.

Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#43

Post by anamax »

timjahn wrote: post #18

Throwing $2B at startups isn't going to create a new generation of entrepreneurs. 1. Fix the healthcare system. Right now, you're punished if you don't work for a large company in the sense that you're charged up the wazoo for health insurance. Work for a large company and it's close to free. 2. Fix student loans. One could argue don't go to college but I think we can agree there's some value to good schools. 3. Educ…

> 1. Fix the healthcare system. Right now, you're punished if you don't work for a large company in the sense that you're charged up the wazoo for health insurance. Work for a large company and it's close to free.

No, it's not "almost free". It's paid for by the company.

And yes, paying yourself is tax-deductible in many circumstances.

I've actually paid for health insurance out of pocket as an "older american". Rent was more expensive.

That said, healthcare could be a lot less expensive, but since much of that expense comes from govt involvement, it's unclear why anyone would think that even more govt involvement would help.

For example, there are a lot of procedures for which I don't want coverage, but thanks to govt requirements, I can't opt out and pay less.

> 2. Fix student loans. One could argue don't go to college but I think we can agree there's some value to good schools.

Student loans are one way to pay college costs. The method of payment doesn't actually affect the costs much.

Increased student aid seems to increase college cost.

Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#44

Post by gallerytungsten »

If you google the "Early Stage Innovation Fund" this is the first result:

Early Stage Innovation Fund - COMING FY 2012 | SBA.gov www.sba.gov/node/15261 Early Stage Innovation Fund - COMING FY 2012. Earlier this year, the President announced the launch of "Startup America," an initiative to support high-growth ...

http://www.sba.gov/node/15261

If you go there, you get:

Access denied | SBA.gov

Seems rather fitting for a government effort. Further digging shows that these funds are really only open to VC firms with $20 million in funds already. http://www.sba.gov/inv/earlystage

Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#45

Post by anamax »

rayiner wrote: post #21
3pt14159 wrote: post #11

Laissez faire, telle devrait être la devise de toute puissance publique, depuis que le monde est civilisé ... Détestable principe que celui de ne vouloir grandir que par l'abaissement de nos voisins! Il n'y a que la méchanceté et la malignité du coeur de satisfaites dans ce principe, et l’intérêt y est opposé. Laissez faire, morbleu! Laissez faire!! (Trans: "Leave it be, that should be the motto of all public powers,…

There have been developments in our knowledge of the market since 1680 (when that quote was uttered).

> There have been developments in our knowledge of the market since 1680

Yes, but the argument for regulation is that said regulation provides more benefits than the incurred costs.

Considering how badly regulated markets do....

Remember, regulation is systemic risk.

Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#46

Post by CrazyInu »

Maybe Obama should stop "investing", we've seen how that turned out with Solyndra, Light Squared, Fisker Automotive, etc.

Maybe Obama and the Federal government shouldn't be in charge of "fixing" economic aspects of society, as that is not what the founding fathers of this country intended, and that is not really within the authority of Congress.

Government picking winners and losers is a proven way to eradicate innovation and destroy wealth.

No thanks.

Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#47

Post by rabidsnail »

anamax wrote: post #43
timjahn wrote: post #18

Throwing $2B at startups isn't going to create a new generation of entrepreneurs. 1. Fix the healthcare system. Right now, you're punished if you don't work for a large company in the sense that you're charged up the wazoo for health insurance. Work for a large company and it's close to free. 2. Fix student loans. One could argue don't go to college but I think we can agree there's some value to good schools. 3. Educ…

> 1. Fix the healthcare system. Right now, you're punished if you don't work for a large company in the sense that you're charged up the wazoo for health insurance. Work for a large company and it's close to free. No, it's not "almost free". It's paid for by the company. And yes, paying yourself is tax-deductible in many circumstances. I've actually paid for health insurance out of pocket as an "older american". Rent…

Being cheaper than rent is a pretty low bar.

Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#48

Post by CrazyInu »

rayiner wrote: post #22
fleitz wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The TARP money was just a payday loan until QE1, QE2, and now QE3 can take effect. Of course the banks paid the money back, they got the money from the discount window for free, which was printed by the gov't printing T-bills. Why stay on TARP when you can borrow money for free and pay TARP back? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt Look at the debt expansion which is necessary to directly funnel th…

Except the folks at ZeroHedge are nutters, while Randall Munroe used to work at NASA.

There are plenty of nutters who worked and do work at NASA. Let the arguments stand on their merits, not on their messengers.

Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#49

Post by CrazyInu »

HilbertSpace wrote: post #30
shantanubala wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The bailout was a mess, but I feel there's some truth to what Kissenger wrote a while back: basically, a leader will never be given credit for choosing between two evils (a possible crisis, or a poorly-executed bailout) because you will never be able to prove with certainty how bad the other option would have been. We have no way to truly know what things would be like without the bailout, and we really ought to thin…

Some clarity and contact with reality: "The bailout was a mess" The efforts of big gumment to get people who couldn't afford a house into one that blew a housing bubble that popped and created the worst financial and economic disaster since the Great Depression "was a mess". The 'bailout', that is, the TARP program was not "a mess" at all but a grand success: (1) TARP made money. All or nearly all the money has been…

Oy, where do we start with this? So wrong.

Re: Obama Announces $2B Fund for Startups

#50

Post by eli »

anamax wrote: post #43
timjahn wrote: post #18

Throwing $2B at startups isn't going to create a new generation of entrepreneurs. 1. Fix the healthcare system. Right now, you're punished if you don't work for a large company in the sense that you're charged up the wazoo for health insurance. Work for a large company and it's close to free. 2. Fix student loans. One could argue don't go to college but I think we can agree there's some value to good schools. 3. Educ…

> 1. Fix the healthcare system. Right now, you're punished if you don't work for a large company in the sense that you're charged up the wazoo for health insurance. Work for a large company and it's close to free. No, it's not "almost free". It's paid for by the company. And yes, paying yourself is tax-deductible in many circumstances. I've actually paid for health insurance out of pocket as an "older american". Rent…

> I've actually paid for health insurance out of pocket as an "older american". Rent was more expensive.

I think you were very lucky. As a "young & healthy american," that was not my experience.

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