Commentaries

May 12, 2008

 Commentaries is where Minnesota Public Radio welcomes your thoughtful opinion about current events and issues. Commentaries are like letters to the editor. To be considered for publication, your commentary should be issue-related, clearly written, and follow our Terms of Use. New insights into ongoing topics are especially welcome. Not all commentaries received are published. For topical interaction with others, visit the discussion groups.

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Get ready for expensive electricity, blackouts

Alternative energy may give everyone a fuzzy, warm, "green" feeling but it cannot provide the amount of power required by the present and future population. If no new coal and nuclear plants are built we will soon be facing high costs and energy shortages on an unprecedented scale. [MPR News: Judge delivers setback to Big Stone II project]

We will not see hundreds of community based generation systems spring up because they are too expensive and inefficient. Local communities, even with government subsidies, will not be able come up with the money. Local communities can't even come up with enough money to fix potholes in the street these days. If Big Stone II is not built this is the beginning of the end of a dependable supply of electricity. Keep your candles and flashlight handy.

We have a 600 year supply of coal within the borders of the United States. To abandon it is sheer stupidity. Let's spend our energy research dollars on finding ways to burn coal cleaner instead of chasing windmills.

Maynard Meyer
Madison, Minn.


Global warming? Where?

Ah yes more solid proof of Global Warming. [Regarding MPR News: Northern Minn. gets late-season snow] When will Al Gore and his groupies drop this charade? Should he now have to give back his Nobel prize? I think so, after all it has been revealed that a lot of his so-called documentary was based on theories and not facts, had it been based on facts, then he would be talking about Global Cooling.

April was the coldest April in 11 years. So much for a warming theory, snowing in May, ice still on lakes, and yet locally and nationally the media is still trying to convince us the earth is warming.

Jim Vertein
Mound, Minn.


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