Christopher Columbus Landed in Americas 520 Years Ago: Should Government Subsidize Private Ventures?

by Fef Posted 2012/10/05 22:09:37

19 votes
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	Often	1 vote	5%
	Rarely	18 votes	95%

Christopher Columbus landed in October 12, 1492 -- 520 years ago. The United States and other countries celebrate this great event in the coming days. (The U.S. closes many federal and state government offices on Monday, October 8, 2012.)

Wikipedia defines Columbus Day as follows: The event is celebrated as Columbus Day in the United States, as Día de la Raza in many countries in Latin America, as Discovery Day in the Bahamas, as Día de la Hispanidad, Fiesta Nacional in Spain, Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural (Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity) in Argentina and as Día de las Américas (Day of the Americas) in Uruguay.

Wikipedia describes the funding of Columbus' venture as half private enterprise and half royalty: About half of the financing was to come from private Italian investors, whom Columbus had already lined up. Financially broke after the Granada campaign, the monarchs left it to the royal treasurer to shift funds among various royal accounts on behalf of the enterprise. Columbus was to be made "Admiral of the Seas" and would receive a portion of all profits.

Does this 50/50 split in funding and Columbus' successful voyages show that government and private enterprise should work together for large projects? Should NASA give funding to the private SpaceX company? Should SpaceX subject itself to government restrictions by accepting public funding?

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Striker 2012/10/05 22:49:15

Rarely

+5
Where is NEVER?
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Steve ☮ R ☮ P ☮ 2012 ☮ 2012/10/09 00:54:41

Rarely

I would actually say never. If a venture has the potential for value, someone will fund it privately.

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Michael 2012/10/06 17:07:22

Rarely

I can't help thinking of the DMV vs AAA! which, if you are lucky enough to belong to Tripple A, would you visit to? Enough said.

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thefatguy 2012/10/06 16:14:42

Rarely

Never, unless you count vouchers for schools.

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Bronar 2012/10/06 16:06:26

Rarely

Especially when running a deficit.

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Bob, the reasonable one 2012/10/06 13:13:50

Rarely

Spain also got the money to finance Columbus by shaking down the jews and expelling them if they didn't convert to christianity....plus they had ransacked Granada of it's wealth from the last Muslim stronghold as well....

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Gabriela Lebron 2012/10/06 02:42:49

Often

i hit the wrong button...

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Picasso's Cat 2012/10/06 01:03:28

Rarely

+2
Private ventures ???????
Christopher Columbus's venture was financed by the Catholic Church to further it's power and influence throughout the world.
Nothing about that venture was Private, that's for sure!
That's like saying the middle east war was a private venture by Americans, Lol.
And that venture bankrupted our economy, Lol.

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KingdomNow 2012/10/06 00:07:28 (edited)

Rarely

+2
The difference is that Columbus' venture paid off, making Spain a world power until the end of the 19th century over 400 years later.

The current US regime has been picking losers, from GM to Solyndra, to the tune of over a hundred billion taxpayer dollars that shall never be repaid or recovered.

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TuringsChild 2012/10/05 23:04:59

Rarely

+1
You KNOW if the govt started handing out free cash to anyone, it'll be to the Corporatists who need it least.

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Walt 2012/10/05 22:57:30

Rarely

+2
In days of yore, back when America still had a space shuttle program, many discoveries were made that were beneficial to private industry. The shuttle program was not a government subsidized private venture, yet it did benefit private industry. Forking over taxpayer dollars directly to companies is not necessary.

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Striker 2012/10/05 22:49:15

Rarely

+5
Where is NEVER?

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Windy to Striker 2012/10/06 06:46:43

+2
I was wondering he same thing. Nowhere in the Constitution is the government authorized to take money from the People to give away to anyone/any country/ any business for any reason. individual people may give their money to anyone or cause or whatever, but the government is supposed to be completely restrained from any such use of our money. Too bad the People never enforced the Constitution, we'd definitely have a smaller, tighter, more fiscally sound and far less intrusive government today.

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Striker to Windy 2012/10/07 05:40:08

Well these days the People have virtually no way of enforcing the Constitution. We have mostly just stood by and let Gov do whatever it wants. For myself, I've always felt the same against the constant move toward marxism, but for my entire working life I didn't take action, merely supported and voted a few good people. Meanwhile the progressive drive toward what THEY call "the greater good" finally took over the reins in 2008, buried us in debt and fiat money, and thus we've reached past the point of any return. Seems working to take care of family and business takes our eye off the ball.

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baboula 2012/10/05 22:45:14

Rarely

+3
As Reagan once said: The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

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gregaj7 2012/10/05 22:28:58

Rarely

+1
Columbus shouldn't be "celebrated" at all!!

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Fef to gregaj7 2012/10/06 00:41:08

+1
We shouldn't celebrate success of someone who takes money from government -- yah, I hear ya'.... but you've gotta' put things in perspective. This happened in Spain 520 years ago

;)

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gregaj7 to Fef 2012/10/06 05:10:50

My issue with Columbus has very little to do with his funding.

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VVyeth 2012/10/05 22:17:24

Rarely

+2
Our government already does it all day everyday.

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Rust 2012/10/05 22:14:04
Sister Jean 2012/10/05 22:12:28

Rarely

+2
necessary ones

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