Declaring the company's first quarterly profit in over two years as a "historic quarter," Tesla CEO Elon Musk has promised that the future of Tesla will be brighter, expecting the fourth quarter and "all quarters going forward" to be profitable.  But what reason do taxpayers and lawmakers have to believe him? Tesla has had only three profitable quarters in the 15 years since its creation.  The third-quarter results reported that Tesla made a $312-million profit due to a surge in production and sales of the Tesla Model 3 sedan.  The earnings were thanks in part to the company's cost-cutting, spending less on future models, and delaying of payments to suppliers.  Despite the strong recent showing, doubts still linger over whether Tesla can consistently make a profit and meet its production targets.  Much of the uncertainty comes because of statements coming from Musk himself, who recently told...(Read Full Post)