One Year, $20 Million Dollars Tax Payer Money Gone

Here we go again.

Hey folks,

Do you know what the average profit is of Small Business? I'm seriously asking you. There is a formula. Most small businesses in America make around $2 Million a year. That's about it. So if someone was to give a small business, say, $20 million, that would be the equivalent to ten years profit.

Check out these stats.

A small business is a privately owned business with low sales and employee levels. The qualifying criteria for obtaining a Small Business Administration loan state that a small business is one with fewer than 500 employees and less than $7 million in annual sales. The reality is that the average small business in the United States has fewer than 20 employees and less than $2 million in sales annually. Various metrics for determining the size of a small business affect profit margins because larger companies generally deploy new technology whereas smaller companies rely on labor and less efficient equipment.

So $20 million dollars of FREE money, should go a long way. Right? Well there is, uh, was, a small business in North Las Vegas, that got $20 million dollars. Opened the doors, and closed the doors, one year later. It's name is Amonix. So? What happened?

Turns out, there were training issues. The workers were not train. There were quality issues. The stuff they were producing was garbage. And it would seem, as if they never really cared. SO? Where did all that money go?

This would be a great case to investigate. Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Gov. Brian Sandoval. all glorified the company. All were instrumental in getting the money for the company. How much money do you think they got FROM the company? What do you think the bank accounts look like for the CEO and other Heads of the Company before and after the closing? We need to know. It's OUR money.

Check out this story.

The Amonix solar manufacturing plant in North Las Vegas, subsidized by more than $20 million in federal tax credits and grants, has closed its 214,000-square-foot facility about a year after it opened.

Officials at Amonix headquarters in Seal Beach, Calif., have not responded to repeated calls for comment this week, but the company began selling equipment, from automated tooling systems to robotic welding cells, in an online auction Wednesday.

A designer and manufacturer of concentrated photovoltaic solar power systems, Amonix received $6 million in federal tax credits for the North Las Vegas plant and a $15.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2007 for research and development.

So not only did they get this money, $20 million dollars of YOUR money, they will now profit from the sale of the business and the equipment. That could be another few million right there.

Rene Kenerly, a former material and supply manager at Amonix, said the plant has been idle since May 1, when he was laid off. At its peak, the plant had about 700 employees working three shifts a day to produce solar panels for a utility in Amarosa, Colo., he said.

"I don't think they had a lot of training," Kenerly said. "There were a lot of quality issues. A lot of stuff was coming back because it had some functionality issues."

Yeah because they didn't actually care about the business. They were a scam from the beginning. They were a money laundering scheme, and a political tool. That's all they were. They didn't CARE about solar panels, the green movement, or anything else. They cared about $20 million dollars of free money.

The Amonix plant was highly touted by political leaders and economic development officials when it opened in May 2011. Company executives said they would employ as many as 300 assembly line workers paid $12 to $14 an hour, plus benefits.

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Gov. Brian Sandoval were among the political leaders who lauded the company when it announced it would start making solar panels in the Golden Triangle Industrial Park. Reid in particular has pushed for solar energy research and development in Nevada, drawing parallels between the value of Nevada sunshine and Saudi Arabian oil.

And? You know, even using the argument, that solar will not work everywhere, good in places like Florida and, oh, I don't know, VEGAS, it may not be good in Seattle, it should have worked in Nevada. Right? Harry Reid said this.

"Last year, Amonix CEO Brian Robert­son was tragically killed in a plane crash and unfortunately the company was unable to recover from this difficult time," Reid said Wednesday in an email statement. "Some people will be tempted to use today's unfortunate news for political gain. But I am hopeful that the bipartisan support for this project and the public-private partnership that helped make this and many other projects possible will not be degraded by dirty energy supporters for their own profit or political gain. The clean energy sector is too important to Nevada's future, and I hope that those that publicly acknowledge this will continue to strengthen the bipartisan support for renewable energy programs and incentives that exists in Nevada."

Uh Harry? How much money did you receive from this company? How much Harry. You feel like being honest? How much money did the DNC receive from this, and many other companies just like this? $20 million dollars, gone in a year, is not political. It's a FACT. Now DOE Press Secretary, Jen Stutsman said this.

"The global solar industry is facing significant challenges that are impacting solar manufacturers worldwide," Stutsman said Wednesday from Washing­ton. "Amonix, an innovative solar startup company with strong backing from Republicans as well as Democrats, received a tax credit to expand its American manufacturing operations and help ensure the United States continues to compete for the manufacturing jobs of the future. While today's news is disappointing, the United States simply can't afford to cede America's role in the growing, highly competitive solar energy industry."

{Sigh} THERE IS NO INDUSTRY! There is no market. "Significant challenges?" Yeah. There is no market. When the free government money runs out, they all go away. Shall I post the list AGAIN? Lets.

Solar Trust of America, LLC. 2.1 BILLION, Solyndra, $500 million, Abound Solar, Energy Conversion Devices, BrightSource, LSP Energy, Evergreen Solar, Ener1, SunPower, Beacon Power, ECOtality, A123, Uni-Solar, Azure Dynamics, Nevada Geothermal Power NGP, now we add Amonix

So wait a second. That is TWO in Nevada just this MONTH. Nevada Geothermal Power NGP just went dark. I told you about this on July 8th. Wonder how much money Reid got from BOTH. Someone really does need to start investigating all this.

The FACTS are simple. The Truth is easy to understand. The world runs on Oil and Natural Gas. Those markets are thriving. There is NO market for "green Energy." Zero. Why do we keep throwing money, we do not have, away on fail priorities? The only thing that makes any sense is that some are getting Rich off it.

The reality is, it is not producing anything that benefits anyone. It is not making the world cleaner. It is not helping the environment. It is lining pockets of CEOs and Politicians. It is funding campaigns and Politics. It is not doing what they claim it will do.

The answer is simple folks. They can make all the excuses they want, this company was never meant to succeed. It was nothing more than a money laundering scheme. If you truly want to create hundreds of THOUSANDS of jobs, increase National Security, bring in a Trillion new dollars in revenue, and lower the cost for every American, or, well, everything, you need to do what we KNOW works. Increase our production of Oil and Natural Gas. Get the government out of the way. Stop throwing Billions away on this garbage.
Peter
Sources:
Las Vegas Review Journal - Amonix closes North Las Vegas solar plant after 14 months, heavy federal subsidies
OPNTalk2 - Lights Out On Another Green Energy Company, $98.5 ...
Chron.com - What Is the Average Profit Margin for a Small Business?