The only green thing about wind turbines is the cash in the pockets of the rich

The majority of the money that out-of-state speculators, out-of-country manufacturers and local wind farm lease-signers will receive has been unwillingly donated by American taxpayers and electricity consumers. If the money went instead to inner-city mothers, Appalachian Americans or work-visa-holding immigrants, you folks would be the first to complain. Because the money goes to people in blue suits or people with nice trucks and ball caps, it's just fine. Recipients of this money should get a job.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) funds, renewable energy credits, Cap and Trade, accelerated depreciation and enterprise zones (which allow companies to take private lands by a mechanism similar to eminent domain), are all a part of an inverted Robin Hood scheme. Robin Hood robbed from a rich government to give to an oppressed peasantry. These folks rob from the middle class and poor, and give to the already rich, who in turn contribute to their buddies in government.

Do you have grandchildren? I do not, but in the future when I do they will each be born owing money to China; money that went into the pockets of already-wealthy citizens, oil companies, foreign manufacturers and politicians.

Industrial wind turbine complexes are not green energy. Taking generally from convection currents in the atmosphere has a direct impact on our climate. We are not speaking about some fuzzy computer model, where if we tweak the inputs we can arrive at the desired results. We are talking about each turbine blade removing six-tenths of a megawatt of energy from the convection currents, which are the stabilizers of our planet's temperature. This times three blades to the turbine, 112 turbines to the project, times how many projects?

When the wind blows, coal-fired plants must ramp down to stand-by. When the wind stops, these coal-fired generation plants must immediately ramp up. This has a net harmful effect on emissions.

We will all pay the price for this massive industrial intrusion into our quiet countryside. Let's take some time to count the cost. Big Wind is at your door.

Brett A. Heffner

Shelby