Emphasis wrongly on 1 percent source
Some members of Congress have so emphasized raising subsidies for solar and electrical power developments that one would think they were something new that could provide a significant contribution to our overall electrical power consumption in the future.
The Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration recently published the “2008 Electrical Power Energy Consumption” report that shows electrical power energy sources from 1949 until 2007 for the U.S. In it, solar and wind sources are shown to have contributed to the nation’s electrical grid since 1988. It also shows that solar and wind combined reached its highest production level in 2007, when they contributed less than 1 percent of the electrical energy we consumed.
Solar and wind power bring to mind the well-known 80/20 Pareto principle that holds, in any large human operation, 80 percent of the effort is devoted to the trivial while only 20 percent to the important. Our Congress has upped the Pareto ratio when it continues to subsidize solar and wind power that, after more than 30 years of subsidies, have struggled to produce less than 1 percent of our power while ignoring industries that produce the other 99 percent.
Countries around the world with economic growth much higher than ours reject these developments and are building coal-fired and nuclear power plants as rapidly as they can. If our economy is to compete with them in the years to come, we need an energy policy that puts the emphasis on the most cost-effective energy for our industries and our people. That will require that some members of Congress put more emphasis upon our country’s energy economics and less on politics.
J. Notti, Stevensville
Rulings cost Libby, Lincoln County
In response to Printer Bowler’s Aug. 4 letter: Before we canonize Judge Donald Molloy for his science abilities, I would like to count the ways he really helped the people of Libby.
In the past year alone, we have lost $6 million in school funding due to the loss of timber-sale and oil-lease revenue: loss of revenue from Kootenai National Forest logging, $3.5 million annually; and 2,500 jobs lost in timber and mining. There were 3,000 jobs when both timber and mining were working. The current job base is between 350 and 500 n a high estimate by county officials.
Both the city of Libby and Lincoln County are spending invested money, not replaceable. When it’s gone, where will the cuts be made again? In the past year, we have lost 750 school students, further degrading education funding. We have all the same problems appearing as the inner cities have n higher drug addiction and alcoholism, higher crime and suicide rates.
For this we can thank St. Molloy and his friends in Earthjustice “because the Earth needs a lawyer.” I can’t get my head around the fact of Earth being here for 4.5 billion years and the one thing lacking is a lawyer? Ego and self-importance that big is truly frightening. According to Earthjustice’s Web site, the Earth is going to be safe, though. They have 54 lawsuits filed or in the works. No jobs, no replacement tax base, no industry n just lawsuits. Get to work Mr. Molloy. Lawyers need money and please remember rodents, reptiles, predatory species and cockroaches come before the dignity of a man to have a job that can feed, clothe and educate his family.
Harry Turnland, Libby
Forest is going to the wolves, beetles
I couldn’t agree more with the Missoulian editorial board calling out District Judge Donald Molloy on his outrageous ruling that wolves couldn’t be proved to be genetically exchanging. What kind of malarkey is that? They are finding these wolves from Colorado to Washington. That’s exchange. This is a serious case of the monkey running the zoo. Judge Molloy, this is your forest. For years now, you have stopped productive action in the national forest. You have destroyed a way of life, breaking the hearts of loggers and the generations of families that lived and worked in the woods they love.
And look at your forest now. It is full of bark beetles, with vast tracts dead and dying. The burned timber that could have been salvaged is ruined. Knapweed and other noxious weeds are pervasive. All you allow is the destruction of the roads that allow access. And now, with your wolves, you and your cohorts have destroyed the moose, grouse and mule deer that lived in peace. You have put the ranchers and rural people under siege. It is a travesty. I think our Montana Constitution requires us to protect the wildlife in this state. Gov. Brian Schweitzer should step in. Someone should step in.
I have just one question for you and the extremist activists to which you cater, Judge Molloy: Where are all the moose?
Rena Wetherelt, Missoula
Break chain of Washington corruption
\ In the words of Lee Iacocca: “Where have all the leaders gone?” Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? And where is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state over a cliff. We’ve got corporate gangsters robbing us blind and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane. This is America, not the damned Titanic. You can’t call yourself a patriot if you’re not outraged.That’s not even the half of it. Congressional members are stealing, wasting and spending borrowed money like madmen. While our trade deficit is at $4.5 trillion and our national debt is at $9.5 trillion, they are pocketing personal gains of millions from costly, unnecessary earmarks they shepherd through. A TV expose about a small fraction of this abuse aired for all to see and hear. A strategically placed road through land owned by a 10-term representative; $10 million diverted to an 11-term representative’s family business; the publicized $90,000 cold cash freezer bribe to an eight-term representative; the famous bridge to nowhere meant to benefit the family of a seven-term representative; Nevada land deals benefiting a four-term representative and sons; four- and five-term representatives getting sweetheart mortgages. We are choking to death on the pork brought to our states by long-term representatives.
The size and scope of perceived entitlement seems to accelerate the longer these representatives stay in office. Their salaries aren’t nearly enough compensation. All hands in the cookie jar with no criticism or consequences, demanding only an occasional sacrifice to fool the citizens. What a deal.
This coming election, throw the incumbent bums out. Break the chain of corruption. We’ve had enough, Washington, you are fired.
Velma Spores, Kalispell
The Crow? Develop a coal plant?
After reading the article in the Missoulian (Aug. 17, 2008), I am so glad to see that the environmental wackos are still out there doing everything they can to prevent the Crow people (Crow Agency) from developing their coal-to-liquid fuels plant.
I can just see Bruce Nilles, director of the Sierra Club’s national campaign against coal plants, puffing out his little chest and saying to himself: Develop a coal plant on their own land? Are the Crow nuts? Who do the Crow think they are? They have to get our permission first. We don’t care that this project could be of great help to the Crow, an indigenous people. The Crow are incapable of proceeding with this project without our supervision. We environmentalists have bought into this fallacy of man-made global warming and we are defending it no matter what. No matter what! Got it? We’re not kidding around anymore! We don’t care that the income from this well-thought-out project could greatly benefit a whole nation of people, the Crow Nation. Perhaps benefit the whole state of Montana. We don’t care that energy costs are harming our economy. We really just plain don’t care that our fanatical views hurt all economic groups, especially the poorest among us. And who does Gov. Brian Schweitzer think he is in promoting this madness? I guess that we should just appoint or elect an environmental wacko as emperor or empress and be content to live under their benevolence. Oh yes, and live in a sod house while we are at it.
Mark King, Missoula
Step up for reseeding effort
OK, all you little boys who are not so little anymore and were lucky enough not to have started a wildfire when you were playing with matches or lighters, how about contributing $5 or $10 (or more if you can afford it) to the reseeding of Mount Sentinel n in gratitude. There, but for the grace of God. Send to UM Foundation/Sentinel Burn, Brantley Hall, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812. Marty Lane, Missoula
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