Among the items in last month’s “Tube Talk” e-newsletter was one about Leonard Maniscalco, who owns Sackett Systems Inc., Bensenville, Ill. This small-business owner wants the government to give him a $1.3 million grant. In return, he’ll create 150 new jobs.

According to Chicago Tribune columnist Greg Burns, who wrote about Maniscalco’s quest for government funding, “If the idea sounds pie-in-the-sky, or maybe just batty, consider how the government expects to lose $30 billion on its investment in General Motors and Chrysler. By that score card, 150 jobs for $1.3 million would be a steal.” (more...)