Bats in the Belfry

When I put gasoline in my tank, when I get my electric bill, and when the propane tank gets filled I'm reminded of how much I spend on energy. We need energy independence from foreign sources of energy and one of those ways is Wind Energy. I do not understand the opposition to a clean renewable source of energy. Windmills create no pollution once constructed, they provide jobs, and the increase the tax base. It is a win win for everybody involved, but for some reason some don't see it that way.

The first argument usually heard is; they doesn't increase the taxes enough. Well we are all paying too much tax now, that is one of the reason of slow economic growth in the area. Besides a Windmill pays way more tax than the vacant rock that was there before, so it is a net gain for the community.

But the argument I like the best is the Bats. The bat argument came about because the bird argument was proved wrong and misleading. The theory goes something like this. The aircraft warning lights on the windmills attract moths, and the moths in turn attract bats that eat them. While the bats are eating the moths, they get hit with blades of the windmill and are killed. There is a glaring hole in this theory.

Best evening to sit outside on the porch in the summer is when there is a light breeze blowing. The reason being is the wind blows the bugs way. Funny thing is the wind is what turns the windmill blades, so when the wind is blowing there are no bugs to attract the bats. When the wind is not blowing, and the bats can eat the bugs, the blades aren't turning to kill the bats. The bat kill theory just doesn't hold up to simple logic.

Usually I can see two sides to an issue. I can usually understand the other sides reasoning for their point of view, but I may disagree with it. I can not see their logic in their opposition to windmills. Electricity is not something that comes out of the wall. It must be generated somehow whether it be wind, oil, coal, hydro-electric, or solar something has to create it. If we have the ability to generate power from a non-polluting local source such as wind, then we should do it. They worry about bats around windmills, they should worry about the bats in their belfry.

Karl Marx and the Second Grader

At the Hilltop School in Seattle, Washington teachers Ann Pelo and Kendra Joaquin are teaching second graders that Communism is a fair and just system. Apparently, the kids built a town out of Lego blocks. The kids began to lay claim to the buildings they assembled. One kid refused to allow another kid to land his Lego plane at his airport.

The teachers response was to take away the Lego blocks. Then the teachers taught the kids “social and political understandings of ownership and economic equity from a perspective of social justice.” They were taught that personal ownership, property rights and Capitalism is bad. Whoa! These are second graders! After three months of Marxist indoctrination the Legos were returned to the kids with new Soviet style rules of property ownership.

Second graders should be taught sharing is a good thing, but trying to teach them complex socio-economic theories is another. Ann Pelo and Kendra Joaquin are clueless on the subject of Capitalism and Communism. They should be kept away from kids of all ages (including college).

Our nation was built on Capitalism, and it gives everyone an equal starting point. If you work hard you will be rewarded. Bill Gates started in a garage. John D. Rockefeller failed several times before finding success. Capitalism doesn't guarantee success, but it gives you an opportunity. What you do with that opportunity depends on you. You have heard the saying that rich get richer, that is true, but the poor get richer at a much faster rate than the rich in this county.

We live in the most successful nation in the world, and Capitalism is our system. If you want to know if our system is the best give it the "Gate Test." Chuck Kinder of the WV State Auditors Office gave a speech I had the opportunity to attend. In it he stated, "If you want to see how successful your country is give it the Gate Test. Open the gates and see which people go." The communist countries of eastern Europe built walls to keep there people from leaving during the cold war. We are building walls on the Mexican border to keep people out.

Gate Test: Capitalism passes with flying colors.

The Breakfast of Champions

Tuesday the Mineral County Chamber of Commerce held its annual Legislative Breakfast. Invited were Senators David Sypolt (R), & Jon Hunter (D), as well as Representatives Allen Evans (R), Bob Schadler (R), and Ruth Rowan (R) which represent all or parts of Mineral County. Ruth Rowan didn't attend which was not as much a surprise as the absence of Hunter. This is the first Legislative Breakfast I can remember him not attending. Maybe there is some truth to the rumors of Jon not seeking re-election.

I really like the Legislative Breakfast. I believe it is very important for the community to have a briefing from the very people that we count on in Charleston to represent us. What really got me hooked was a few years ago. Then Senator Sarah Minear (R) was at the breakfast. She spoke after Jon Hunter, and did what I believe a politician should do. She stood up at the mic and told it like it was. Speaking with fire in her belly Sarah explained in detail why she disagreed with her counterpart, and whether you agreed with her or not you had to give her respect. That is what I want to hear from my representatives.

We don't need representatives that are only seen as frequently as Roswell aliens. Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil once said, "All politics are local," and that means getting out among the people. The attendees at the breakfast were doing just that. They were there to take questions, hear comments from the people, and some cases take some heat. That is what being a representative in a representative democracy is about. You have to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly from the people you represent.

Last year people couldn't believe when the Governor visited Keyser, that I said more than "Welcome to Keyser" as he shook hands. I did that and told him, we have some problems that need addressed and here they are. Politicians are people there to serve us, talk to your representatives. Be respectful, but tell them what you think, why you think it, what you would like to see, and why you disagree if their opinion differs from yours. Our representatives need to know what we think, so tell them when you see them.

Grant and Mineral could fuel jobs with coal

For many years I have advocated turning coal into motor fuels. During the last election cycle I started working on the idea of what it would take to get a group together to make that happen on top the Allegheny Front. The coal located on top the mountain is the closest in West Virginia to the east coast markets, and it is the type that lends itself well to being converted in to liquid fuel. This makes the Potomac Highlands a natural for a location of a conversion plant. The Fischer-Tropsch process has been around for over 100 years and Germany used it during World War II to run the last few years of the war when her oil supplies were cut off. There is very little new science involved, and with oil remaining above $35 per barrel for the foreseeable future it is economically desirable because coal based gasoline would be cheaper.

In mid-August the Coal-to-Liquid Coalition is planning a summit in Beckley, WV. Congressman Nick Rahall (D) WV-3rd wants the Defense Department to get involved since they are the single largest purchaser of fuel in the US. 2.5 billion gallons annually. Rahall wants the Defense Department to purchase coal based fuels. I understand the reasoning for wanting to get the government involved, and that is basically to take the uncertainty out of the market place. When the private sector builds a plant it wants to know that it will make a profit, and with a government contract from the Defense Department that uncertainty is gone. Now normally I like the idea of government staying out of things, but I like the idea of our government buying domestic instead of foreign.

I think the Economic Development directors of Grant and Mineral should attend this meeting. It would be a good opportunity to see what can and needs to be done. Nobody ever got anything sitting there waiting for it to be handed to them, and if the Potomac Highlands is not aggressive in marketing itself to the world, then the world will pass us by. Armed with knowledge you start marketing your idea.

There are many large consumers that could be approached to purchase coal based fuels. Some of the largest private consumers of fuel in the US are the rail roads. CSX alone purchased in excess of two billion dollars worth of fuel last year. This would be a excellent place to start putting together a group of a possible project. You need a diverse group from coal mining companies, to the ones that own the nozzle you put in the end users tank and everybody in between. Together you can have an integrated approach that benefits everybody in the chain, and you take out much of the uncertainty. The Potomac Highlands have an opportunity knocking, but we need to answer the door.

Ham, Bacon, and Eggs not for Breakfast, but the Future

Friday night Mineral County held its annual Ham, Bacon, and Eggs Sale and the crowd appeared much larger than last year and prices also seemed higher. I was glad to see the kids get a good profit from their efforts. The whole Potomac Highlands business community and beyond was out in force to support these young capitalist. There were Grand Champion winners singled out, but all were winners. I’m not just saying that to be nice, they truly are winners. They learn that you can better yourself and be rewarded through hard work. Even the last place finisher in any one category won, their hard work was rewarded at the sale.

My fear is the future may hold another lesson, and that is government can destroy your hard work or place limits on your future hard work. Interestingly earlier in the day I had a conversation with a person that lived near one of the Future Farmers (I don't believe he knew that) and this person was telling me the county needed zoning, because he shouldn't have to deal with the a farm near his home. I was polite to the person and listened but I’m thinking, “This farm has been here for over 100 years, and you moved here recently. Didn't you notice the fences, barns, and animals that you had to drive by before you bought?” The answer is of course he did.

July 4th, 1776 the founding fathers signed a great document that stated we have "certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Zoning flies in the face of these underlying princles of freedom. Property rights are a corner stone of liberty. That same year Adam Smith published "Wealth of Nations" and in it stated "The first and chief design of every system of government is to maintain justice: to prevent the members of society from encroaching on one another’s property, or seizing what is not their own. The design here is to give each one the secure and peaceable possession of his own property." Property Rights allow us to use our property without the interference of neighbors or government, as long as we do not violate the rights of others.

Now proponent's of Zoning, like to pretend that a farmers discarded rusting tractor sitting in his field is a violation of their rights because it is visually unpleasing. I checked death certificates in West Virginia, and I found none listing a cause of death as, "looked at a rusting tractor," so it does not deprive us of life. Unless the farmer chains his neighbor to the tractor, it does not deprive him of liberty. Third we only have the right to only pursue happiness. We are not guaranteed happiness as a right, and a rusting tractor doesn't stop that pursuit. Now if the farmer decides to set fire to his tractor and sends toxic fumes into his neighbors yard, then he is violating his neighbors rights, because those fumes could cause a risk to his life. The tractor just sitting there violates no ones rights.

Zoning takes away the rights of the land owner. Its purpose is to give government control over an owners property and limiting the owners use, while no limits are placed on the owners responsibilities under the law. The land owner only can use his property by permission of the government, not by right as the founding fathers intended. Zoning gives power favoring those with political and monetary clout at the expense of the original land owners and less affluent. It creates class warfare that only benefits the wealthy, and destroys our way of life.

At the Ham, Bacon, and Eggs sale the Future Farmers learned first hand that the Free Market allows you to pursue your dreams, and be rewarded if you work hard and do your job well. The founding fathers were farmers and put protections in to protect property rights. Zoning would be turning our backs on that principle of liberty, and that is not a future in which I want to live.