Donor, officials warned Obama not to visit Solyndra after financial warnings

[alp227]

Source: The Washington Post

A Silicon Valley investor and senior administration officials warned the White House to reconsider having President Obama visit a solar start-up company because of its mounting financial problems, saying he might be embarrassed later.

“A number of us are concerned that the president is visiting Solyndra,” California investor and Obama fundraiser Steve Westly wrote to Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett in May 2010. “Many of us believe the company’s cost structure will make it difficult for them to survive long term. . . . I just want to help protect the president from anything that could result in negative or unfair press.”

The memo was among several copies of e-mails released Monday morning by Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is investigating a government loan to the now-bankrupt company.

Obama’s Energy Department had provided Solyndra with a $535 million government-backed loan in 2009 and wanted to highlight the investment to show taxpayers how their stimulus dollars had been put to work. Westly said that if Obama proceeded with the visit, he should be careful about touting the company’s future.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/donor-officials-warned-obama-not-to-visit-solyndra-due-to-financial-warnings/2011/10/03/gIQA5M2MIL_story.html

---

See also WSJ: White House Brushed Off Solyndra Worries, Emails Show

[InkAddict]

1. Charity: Why It’s the Thought That Counts

http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2011/05/charity-why-it%E2%80%99s-the-thought-that-counts/


Perhaps it’s clearer in the case of gifts than charities how one can be better than another. A gift is better if your friend is happier to receive it, uses it more, and gets more enjoyment from it. Charities work in different areas, and help people in different ways. But there are methods of comparison available, particularly within particular areas. With respect to health, for example, we already have a whole system set up to compare different interventions – Quality Adjusted Life Years – used by the NHS among others. Using QUALYs, it’s possible to compare different interventions, and find out how much good could be done with a certain amount of money if it were donated to those different interventions. It turns out there are huge differences between the good brought about by different interventions. Choosing to give a certain amount of money to one charity rather than another could bring about 100s of times more good.

A little thought in buying a gift can make the difference between one which is hardly appreciated, and one which brings great joy. In giving to charity a bit of thought (and research) could make the difference between saving one life, and saving hundreds. So we should encourage thoughtful giving, regardless of whether it’s to friends or strangers.
===================================================================================================

Political intervention via PBD (e-mail warning) or when a gift (favor) goes bad, then what?

[Safetykitten]

2. Well, at least he's consistent. He ignores everyone but his financial/wall street gang.