McCain's Mighty Expensive Battery

Finally an idea from The Right that I could support: McCain says he would offer a $300M bounty for anyone who could create more efficient car batteries as well as offer a $5000 tax credit toward buyers of electric vehicles.

$300M represents $1 from every man, woman, and child in the US. I'd sign up for that. Hell, I'd pay out of my own pocket for all the members of my extended family in MS.

I think the arguments against it will include: a) The market is already innovating at record levels, b) Anyone who COULD build such a battery is already working on it because they know the market for such a beast would reach BILLIONS in returns, and c) It should not come at the tax payer's expense.

I suppose I could agree with some of those. But I reiterate that $1 / family member is a fair price in my opinion. And regardless of who is trying to build such a beast already, receiving $300M for being the first to do it is a mighty powerful incentive.

Now if McCain would only shutup about a gasoline tax break (at the expense of the all-ready-tax-strapped local governments) and he stopped suggesting that tapping ANWR would be good for anything other than a six-month-fix for America's gas addiction, I might be more inclined to vote for him.