Sunday, April 10, 2005
 
Step 3: (Government) Profit!

So we're driving north on Interstate 39 in the middle of Illinois when there arises from the plain an almost unearthly sight. Dozens of towers break the horizon, each with spinning blades:

Wind farm near Paw Paw, Illinois


I don't remember those spires from my frequent trips up the highway, and sure enough, they're new:

Step 1: Anything innovative that moves human progress forward.
Step 2: ...
Step 3: (Government) Profit!:
    It really wouldn’t surprise many La Salle County officials if a wind farm sprung up on someone’s property in the county within the next couple years.

    So in an effort to plan ahead and gather more revenue, county development committee officials Friday agreed to add a $25-per-foot inspection fee for all towers built in the county into its proposed commercial, industrial and multifamily building code ordinance.

    “We need to do something quick-like because they’ll be here before we know it,” said committee member Richard Foltynewicz (D-Ottawa).
Because La Salle County officials have seen the construction of a wind farm in neighboring Lee County, they've gotten ahead of the curve and want to implement the tax before they actually have anything to tax.

Oh, sorry, it's a $25-per-foot inspection fee. An arbitrary number that doesn't account for the amount of time an inspector would have to spend on the site nor on the actual productivity of the wind farm or profitability of the company collecting the energy. No, it's on the height of the windmill, which makes about as much sense as taxing a company based on the number of letters in its name.

So keep that in mind, gentle reader, whereas your elected officials want you to think they share your goals for cheap, renewable energy and less dependence on foreign oil, they really do, but they have their priorities. And the top of the list is getting more of that sweet, sweet tax money that will hinder progress and which will eventually come from your pockets.


- posted by Brian J. @ 4:27 PM
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