But isn't the Delorean the "Car of the Future"?

The Chevy Volt - which, despite its name, runs on less than 1.21 gigawatts - is the car being asked to "save" General Motors. This electric model will produce zero emissions for most Americans (those that drive less than 40 miles per day) and goes from zero to 60 in nine seconds. (No word on how soon it gets to 88 miles per hour.)

The full model isn't due until next year, and it's going through some growing pains. In the meantime, as Wired reports, the Obama administration is trying to kill it. The task force appointed by the President to oversee handouts to the auto industry doesn't think the zero-carbon electric car will be profitable anytime soon. According to this blue-ribbon panel - which, incidentally, gets paid whether or not GM goes belly-up - GM should focus on more immediately marketable vehicles, rather than vehicles which will be marketable long-term.

Somehow, the Obama Administration has succeeded in being more nearsighted than Detroit auto manufacturers.

If GM was flush with profit, it would be a good time to experiment with new technology. Unfortunately, they are currently being propped up with someone else's money. The Obama Administration wants a return on their investment, and they won't let things like the long-term viability of GM get in the way.

That's the downside of asking for money from a controlling interest that doesn't understand your business.

Innovation Nation

A research firm released an "innovation heat map" last week - using a variety of factors to identify where new and exciting advances were taking place across several industries. Not surprisingly, Silicon Valley was the most innovative area of the United States. But somewhat troubling is they way innovation is tanking in some of our major cities: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and other industrial cities are simply not keeping up with the times.

Washington, D.C., with its culture of federal government and bureaucracy, isn't even on the radar for this - which is no surprise, and which is probably a big reason why the tech team that funtioned so freely and successfully on the Obama campaign is meeting so many challenges during the Obama Presidency.

Washington's premium on the status quo and aversion to innovation will taint any aid failing industrial cities receive - and worse, will prolong those cities' economic woes.

Since it's March, imagine a young basketball player with bad shooting habits. The only way that player will get better is if he changes his or her shooting motion to adapt to the game. The federal government solution might be to replace basketball rims with hula hoops or lower backboards, but none of these will actually make the shooter better - and eventually, he or she will get to a level where the rules can't be changed.

(By the way, this is not some sort of clever metaphor for why the Washington Wizards and Georgetown Hoyas suck this year.)