Taxpayer Blood: It's All Over Heinrich's Hands

Jim Spence

Commentary by Jim Spence - Martin Heinrich is a man who probably means well. Unfortunately, he just can't seem to get it through his head why the state of New Mexico and U.S. taxpayers shouldn't touch projects like Solyndra and Schott Solar with a ten foot pole. Heinrich is dangerous to our future. He is so intent on pressing the radical environmentalist agenda and so naive about how the real world economy works, he is completely comfortable with throwing billions of taxpayer dollars at alternative energy projects that fail despite massive taxpayer subsidies. Fortunately, for voters, he has a record. And his record on job creation suggests New Mexicans have now been forewarned about his judgment.

Pictures and videos are worth a thousand words. The magnitude of Heinrich's economic ignorance can be demonstrated not by commentary or opinion, but by his own words. Below is a statement Heinrich issued on January 25, 2011. He commented on the portion of President Obama's State of the Union Address related to the government "investing" in jobs via alternative energy projects that the private sector already knew were losers. Here are his words:

Martin Heinrich (center)  at Schott Solar

“Central New Mexico is a model for the kind of innovation and competitiveness the President spoke of tonight. I’ve seen first-hand the impact encouraging American innovation and entrepreneurship has on a local economy. I see it in success stories from companies like Schott Solar and SUMCO Phoenix in central New Mexico that are thriving in the expanding clean energy and high-tech manufacturing industries. The President was right when he said we need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.

Martin Heinrich at Schott Solar

That's happening right now in central New Mexico. But we have a lot of work to do. Together, we need to rebuild the public's trust in government and continue the hard work of economic recovery. It will require practical policies and pragmatic compromise that can give our nation the vibrant economic growth and stronger middle class we have come to expect. My commitment remains stronger than ever to create quality jobs in central New Mexico, reduce our deficit, and work together to “win the future.”

In his own words poor Martin Heinrich demonstrated his complete lack of comprehension, on a very basic level, of how jobs are created and successful businesses function. This Senator want-to-be actually believes because millions of taxpayer dollars are thrown at something, it is a success. And exactly like President Obama extolling the virtues of now bankrupt Solyndra, as somehow being a model for our economic future, in his own words Heinrich mistakenly identified Schott Solar as a success story because government bet your tax dollars on it.

Time tends to produce irrefutable economic facts. Facts have stripped away any shred of truth behind Heinrich's absurd assertions. Despite subsidies from Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, and a $16 million unsecured taxpayer funded gift from former Governor Bill Richardson, like Solyndra, Schott Solar closed its doors, laid off 250 workers, and filed for bankruptcy protection from its creditors. New Mexico taxpayer dollars are gone as are all the other subsidies taxpayers lost on the bad bet. You can watch video of the hapless Martin Heinrich speaking about something he knows nothing about (job creation and basic economics) with Bill Richardson lurking in the background here.