So you're telling me my (hypothetical) grandchildren may never know the joy of getting a funny voice after sucking helium out of a balloon?

What a dark, depressing world we're "building."

If we start filling balloons with hydrogen childhood will become much more exciting.

We are #$%#$%#$ retarded. The US is to helium as China is to rare earths, and here we have Congress ordering divestiture. As my police friend says, if you see something that doesn't make any sense at all (e.g. white man dressed in a suit walking about a blighted neighborhood), first try to add heroin or crack cocaine and see if then it makes sense. In the case of Congress I gotta think it's something far more pernicious than drugs at work.

On the other hand, maybe in 30 years time, we'll have fusion power and all the Helium we want ;)

So why does the US government have this policy? Is it just to subsidise businesses that use helium?

I thought government intervention was supposed to manage business interests that cause external or future damage. And that economic nationalism was supposed to do good for your own country at the expense of others. The US government seems to be achieving neither with this policy . Its just subsidising wasteful business, home and abroad.

I suppose when the helium is finished other investors could mine the moon or explode hydrogen fusion bombs to help us with helium supply. As long as there is a return, lets not worry about collateral damage.

Is there anyone sensible in the US government? Where is the leadership?

Its similar to the story about the proposal to pump sulphur into the atmosphere to stop global warming. Seems to be favoured by people who want to make a short-term dollar and those who are scared about taking a hit on the economy for the greater good...its just too bad for anyone else or for the future.