I don't often get in the middle of political sludge. I used to - but it's just not my thing anymore. I stay up on current events, but generally speaking I don't get overly immersed in news and politics. The reporting is all so negative, and I really don't need additional negativity in my life. I'd rather read something positive, or better yet - do something positive.That said - this wind energy tax credit thing has me a bit tweaked. The media is widely reporting that presidential candidate Romney is stating the Wind Energy Production Tax Credit should be allowed to expire, and that will cost 37,000 jobs. The estimated and projected (read: guessed) number of job losses are, of course, meant to paint a picture that Romney is insensitive to the value of American citizen's jobs - when he claims that his campaign is all about jobs. Well - I value my job, and I certainly don't care for it when I lose mine or hear one of my friends has lost theirs. However - let's consider the federal government is trying to apply good business sense to slow the economy's bleeding, and take a closer look at this...from a business perspective.
That tax credit cost the tax payers $5 billion in 2010. This essentially means you and I - the taxpayers - paid those 37,000 people on average over $135,000 a year in salary (considerably more than I make). Oh - and I'm paying them to make energy I then have to pay for? Now what are those jobs costing me?
Please don't misunderstand - I think wind energy is a great idea. Our environment needs ideas like that. However, if it's not a way to produce energy that comes with a sound business model - it simply needs a new approach. Seriously - after 20 years of government subsidizing - they surely should have figured out a way to be self-sustaining and profitable. No business should continue to exist if they can't figure out how to be self sustaining. Using the federal government as a permanent crutch is no way to run a business.
I'm still undecided on for whom I will cast my vote in November. However, the liberally slanted media casting a negative light on an issue so easily disproved in my mind is not helping the incumbent in my book. But this is a great example of why I've grown weary of stories on government and politics.
It's been a really long time since I felt like a presidential election was anything but choosing the lesser of two evils.
