That's a very understandable reaction, and very much a possibility. What data do we have on how much is skimmed from proposals like this, or fraudulent compani

That's a very understandable reaction, and very much a possibility. What data do we have on how much is skimmed from proposals like this, or fraudulent companies that are set up to exploit this funding? Michael Lewis talked a bit about this in The Fifth Risk, particularly the Solyndra scandal. The Obama administration took a lot of heat politically for Solyndra, which in reality amounted to a tiny tiny fraction of funds made available for solar development, and the overall solar research fund that Obama allocated wound up turning a profit for the government. You wouldn't know that based on the reporting though.