Ever since President John Kennedy stepped up to the podium at Rice University in 1962 and challenged America to do the impossible, we have been enamored with space. Seven years later, America had landed men on the moon and established supremacy in the Space Race. The year 1981 saw the first flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia, ferrying crew and cargo on numerous important missions. In 1998, we saw the blossoming of international relations in space with the launch of the first segment of the International Space Station (ISS).

Have you ever heard the saying “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?” If a market investment appeared in which investors could make millions or perhaps billions by investing small amounts of money, most people would believe it is “too good to be true.” Skepticism would be a perfectly rational reaction. Welcome to the world of the corporate and union Lobbyists: a world of political favor and special privileges which really are too good to be true. 

Solyndra is the latest in the long list of “green energy” companies that have failed after being artificially propped up by the Obama administration. The solar panel manufacturer that received more than $500 million in federal “stimulus” loans declared bankruptcy a couple weeks ago.

One policy issue that should unify individuals of all political persuasions is opposing corporate welfare. Progressives tend to oppose big corporations while conservatives and libertarians despise big government. The truth is that big corporations and big government go hand-in-hand.

On Friday, President Obama signed an executive order to establish the “Council on Jobs and Competitiveness” led by General Electric’s (GE) CEO Jeffrey Immelt. President Obama and Immelt released statements claiming that the new council would “put our economy into overdrive.” To those paying attention to their relationship, it should come as no surprise that Immelt was selected as chairman. The Obama administration and GE have had a disturbingly close relationship for the past two years.

In May, the House passed the FY2011 Defense Appropriation Bill that includes $485 million for an extra F-35 Joint Strike Fighter engine that the Pentagon does not want. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that the Senate will vote on taking up the defense spending bill today.