In recent months, a number of prominent conservatives have decried US Government loan guarantees to (relatively) early-stage companies in the green power industry. The biggest of these, of course, has been Solyndra. Simultaneously, they attack emissions and fuel efficiency standards on vehicles, power plants, etc. These disingenuous attacks ignore a basic, fundamental truth about the vast majority of modern innovation: it stands on the shoulders of Government-funded research. I know, heresy. The obvious example, of course is the Internet.