David McElroy

Politicians make lousy venture capitalists. What’s more, it’s not their own money they’re playing with. It’s ours. The latest proof comes from California, where Solyndra, one of Barack Obama’s pet “green energy” companies, shut down Wednesday even after getting $535 million in federal loans and guarantees.

This isn’t a unique story. Politicians put tax money into projects that meet goals they believe are worthy. The market couldn’t care less what they think. The market rewards what works and makes economic sense. I just wrote a few weeks ago about the continuing failure of state economic planning the last time a government-favored “green energy” firm crashed and burned.

You can see more here about Solyndra workers being turned away from the plant Wednesday. Also, remember that Obama touted the facility just a year ago — when he toured the place — as a “green innovator.” That’s Obama with company founder Chris Gronet.

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Almost all politicians exaggerate from time to time, but U.S. Rep. Andre Carson moved straight into flat-out lying territory Tuesday when he told fellow blacks that members of Congress allied with the Tea Party movement “would love to see you and me … hanging on a tree.”

In an age of more and more demagoguery, it’s one of the most blatant lies I’ve seen — and it’s clearly designed to push political buttons.

I’ve talked a lot about the need to get past the political hatred that’s so much a part of our system today. I’ve said we need to quit ranting at each other and learn to understand where other people are coming from. I can’t add much to what I’ve already said about that, but I want to review — again — why this is happening.

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Can you tell me the difference between freedom and democracy? I’ve tried this with dozens of people over the years. They almost always look at me blankly, because they’ve been taught the words mean exactly the same thing. They were taught a lie.

I’m reminded of this because of a great article my friend Zachary Caceres published Wednesday that centers around mainstream intellectual ignorance on this subject. (If you’d like to know more about where Zach is coming from, check out his TED talk last spring about free cities.) If you’re already familiar with the difference between freedom and democracy, you’ll find his article a treat. I urge you to read it.

If you’re not already familiar with the differences between freedom and democracy, everything in the article is going to sound perplexing, so let’s take a look at what the words mean. Here’s what my dictionary says about the two:

Freedom — the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

Democracy — a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

In other words, freedom is about the individual. It’s about what he has the right to do. You can argue about where rights come from, but the concept of freedom is purely about the rights of the individual to be unrestrained by others. Democracy, on the other hand, is about the collective “people,“ not about individuals. A democracy is the dictatorship of the majority.

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