Don't Enter Into Any "Green" Deals With The Government...

...because the government can alter the deal at any given moment, and leave you holding the bag - and the debt - with absolutely zero recourse.

A "green" bet is a sucker's bet, and there's one born every minute. Probably more, though, in Washington, DC:

The District of Columbia is quickly realizing “going green” is easier said than done.

In 2009, the city established an incentive program promoting renewable energy to reimburse residents for installing solar panels on their homes. Now, government officials are telling those residents who participated that the city is too broke to reimburse them.

The program – the Renewable Energy Incentive Plan – which was intended to reimburse residents up to a third of the cost of the solar panels was financed by a special tax levied on resident and business gas and electric bills. Of the hundreds that took the city up on its offer, 51 will be missing out on approximately $700,000 in reimbursements this year alone.

Instead, that money is being used to help close the $188 million budget gap.

Chumps. Never count on getting paid from the government. I laugh at the innocents who list their deduction as "zero", hoping to get a big check back from the government in the spring - maybe you will, and maybe you'll get an IOU, or some "green credits", or 10% off your next purchase of a Chevy Volt.

Remember - your government, like Darth Vader, can alter the deal at any time: