Story originally printed in the Tomah Journal or online at www.tomahjournal.com

Published - Sunday, June 29, 2008

Letter: It's not Mister Rogers' neighborhood

There have been several editorials in local newspapers questioning and also expressing disappointment as to the status of our Ridgeville government and the lack of cooperation at the town meetings of the board and the residents.

According to all of the “history” that I have on the situation, the most trouble seemed to arise in the spring of 2006, a year after contracts and easements had been signed with Invenergy.

I read where in March 2006 every household in Monroe County received a packet in the mail from FOMCF, P.O. Box 524, Sparta, WI. The packet contained a made up DVD, along with pictures and propaganda against windfarms. Next the group hired several lawyers, one who still insists he is representing them every now and then. These acts did not encourage peace in our township. Like is often said: “Money is the root of all evil,” such was the case here.

One editorial states the fact that wind power is subsidized giving policymakers a clue about its viability as an alternative energy source. I do believe most big businesses, including oil, are all subsidized somehow. In the 1800s, railroads were subsidized by the government giving them 165 million acres of land so they would build a line across the continent. Then subsidies were granted to telegraph and cable companies, ships, air mail, schools, and others, including farmers, in an effort to control farm prices. Nowadays subsidies might also be referred to as a grant, such as Gov. Jim Doyle presented to a local businessman to expand his business a couple of years ago. Hopefully this would benefit the whole community and bring in new businesses such as Summit Ridge Energy, LLC. Factories need electricity to be productive, and this would also bring more jobs to the area.

Recently on a local TV station I heard them playing Mister Rogers’ theme song, but when I looked at the screen it was not the Mister Rogers Show. What I saw was showing the flood disaster. Cars, homes, streets, everything covered with flood waters. Then I saw printed across the screen: “Ignoring Global Warning Won’t Make It Go Away!” It is up to us here and now to take this seriously before it’s too late. We can help! We can have agriculture providing food for the nation along with a wind turbine providing clean energy in the same field here in this “Beautiful Neighborhood,” keeping the health, safety and welfare of our residents in mind. After all, these are professional people siting these wind turbines in the best interest of everyone. They wouldn’t want it any other way, for their good and ours, I’m sure, maintaining both ag and commercial.

We need our landowner rights returned to the landowners such as Ridgeville had before groups and committees took over, so we can be “just neighbors” once again, not the Hatfields and McCoys.

Fernnell Becher,

Norwalk

All stories copyright 2006 Tomah Journal and other attributed sources.