All’s Not Well at Honeywell

When government gets in the way of business, all businesses can do is deal with the government.  That’s why only suckers aren’t getting on the dole as your money rapidly becomes our money. 

Take Buffalo company Honeywell, which has been granted a fortune to manufacture de facto golf cart batteries.  Americans are propping up an industry against their will thanks to the deal.  But some merely care that the development means a handful of locals will prosper:

The good news involves Honeywell on Peabody St. near downtown. The specialty materials provider has received a 27-million dollar grant from the Energy Department to develop a critical component of lithium ion batteries. Honeywell will become the first U-S manufacturer to do so. 

Jay Kelly, Honeywell’s Buffalo Site Leader, says “we will be adding six new jobs to help us run our sample plant and there will also be approximately 15 engineering and construction jobs related to the building of the sample plant. Honeywell will build a sample plant to produce and test the new battery.

Of course, it’s only “good news” if we disregard both how expensive the project is and who’s paying for it.  By comparison, corporate goon tycoons acting privately are amateurs at concentrating wealth among the privileged few.  Wall Street jerks should take notes.

But who cares about costs when the deal brings jobs to Buffalo?  Specifically, there are a whole 21 of them coming.  Yes, the price works out to over one million dollars in taxpayer financing for each created position.  But, at current federal rates, they might actually be under budget.  And who cares?  It’s someone else’s money!

Further, why worry that the 15 engineering and construction jobs are temporary project positions?  We could probably find shovels for them to permanently man after construction is completed.  It’s the way of the stimulus.

Honeywell itself certainly doesn’t feel bad.  Why would they?  After all, the company’s Powerball numbers just got picked.  From the tone of their press release celebrating the score, they think the ability to speak geek justifies being spoiled:

Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announced today that it has signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy for a $27.3 million grant to produce a critical component of lithium-ion batteries used in hybrid and electric vehicles.

The grant is intended to help Honeywell become the first domestic supplier of high-purity lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), a conductive salt that is one of four critical components in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are becoming more popular for use in a variety of applications because they are lighter and smaller than other batteries, hold their charge well, and can handle the numerous charge and discharge cycles required by modern electronics and vehicles.

While I’m not anti-high-purity lithium hexafluorophosphate per se, I am anti-waste-your-money-without-your-consent; you see the difference.  If the power sources in question are such great investments, why aren’t private conglomerates lining up to make money by investing in these oh so conductive salts?

It’s telling nobody’s buying this product on its own.  Or at least it should be.  The technology doesn’t exist to run our devices on garbage-powered flux capacitors or the like.  That’s why the project isn’t self-funded by willing consumers who get a desirable good out of the transaction.  Instead, governmental misfits fund the hybrid moments.

Honeywell’s work is being subsidized by the equivalent of a wealthy aunt.  We can only bleed her purse dry for so long, as the lack of retail foot traffic will eventually bite our bankrupt keisters.

America is frustratingly aping the Spains of the world, namely by assuming that the only thing keeping us from living as Mother Gaia intended is a massive cash infusion that greedy capitalists are unwilling to provide.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t work to publicly subsidize something that, well, doesn’t work.  Doing so explains why the Spanish economy is muy malo.

But the only option when you can’t see land is to tread water.  Businesses are merely doing what they can to get in good with Washington partway through the Obamaera, whether such actions take the form of Goldman Sachs donating feverishly to the incumbent or Wal-Mart rolling back and supporting Democraticare. 

As with many other companies facing a Greecified economic environment, Honeywell is just trying to make a good deal for itself.  Of course, the fact they got a good deal is a bad sign for everyone else.

As a result, the public is left funding the unbearable folly of gas station coffee-weak batteries.  More and more will eventually be heavily soaked as financiers: after successful people have been punished to capacity, the present administration will alter the definition of “rich” to any fat cat who earns a weekly paycheck.

But at least unemployment is down ever since the present bout of federal skullduggery began, even though it’s not.  The president is failing to create jobs by treating Avatar as a documentary.  Next, the smart wager is that he’ll try a perpetual census.  Lowering the jobless rate by hiring people to constantly count all the other people is only slightly more inane than sponsoring green battery creation.

As for the handful of eco-warriors who actually fall for buying a vehicle equipped with a feeble battery sporting a Made in Buffalo sticker, the rest of us ask that you please stay in the right lane as you putter along at 48 miles per hour on the Thruway.  Consider it a courtesy to those who helped pay for your hippiemobile, namely every taxpayer passing you.