Gone with the wind 

I can barely type this I’m so agog with excitement. Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has announced plans to run for President of the United States. Seriously. Apparently Marty hopes to build on the momentum he’s gained as Maryland’s governor to springboard himself into the White House. The polls back this up with Martin polling a whopping 3 percent of Maryland supporters when matched against his presumed chief challenger, Hillary Dennis Rodham Clinton, who limps in at 65 percent.

Martin “The Tax Machine” O’Malley also is trailing the so-called “independent Socialist” Bernie Sanders in the national polls. No matter. O’Malley aims to “run against Wall Street,” a sure winner meant to appeal to the left side of his left wing party. This worked marvelously in Maryland with every Fortune 500 company fleeing the state and taking their tax base with them, leaving O’Malleyman to increase taxes 40 times during his tenure. This was so popular that Marylanders chose a (gasp) Republican governor over O’Malley’s hand-picked successor, Anthony Brown, who somehow managed to lose $300,000,000 in health care funds.

O’Malley also sought to make the point that he could do for America what he did for Bawlmer. Probably. After 50 years of progressive democratic leadership, Bawlmer is now a shell of the once vibrant city it had been. With 50 more years of the same progressivism it should be about the size of Trappe in 2065.

O’Malley didn’t have anything to say during his announcement about foreign affairs. This may be due to the fact that the only experience he has in foreign affairs is when he would travel to the Eastern Shore, where he was not liked.

As a parting gift to the citizens of Maryland, O’Malley enacted a bill that would make 20 percent of all energy “green” within an allotted number of years. This bill supersedes any local ordinances or the desires of the population affected. So it is that Kent County is soon to be the recipient of 25-35 wind turbines reaching upwards of 500 feet in height in order to comply with the former governor’s megalomania. These turbines will be a part of the East Coast grid and Kent County will not benefit from any electricity generated by them.

They will be ugly, costly, inefficient, loud, and will adversely affect property values. This is of no matter to the presidential candidate who will be able to campaign on his “green” credentials. It’s amazing how often politicians slough aside people’s complaints by telling them it’s for the “greater good.” I’m trying to think of a single politician who has a wind farm (or homeless shelter) next to his home and can’t think of any. I know the great environmentalist, Ted Kennedy, objected to wind turbines off his family compound in Massachusetts because it would interfere with his sailing.

Many Kent Countians don’t believe Apex’s (the installer) claims that the wind farm will be a tourist attraction. This is a silly argument that presumes that a large energy company would lie about something that might impact their project. Seriously, can you imagine BP putting out false statements? Me neither. OK, technically, studies have shown that wind farms actually discourage tourism but this doesn’t take into account the idea that they could be painted yellow. This would attract tourists from Philadelphia, flocking to the area to see the 48-story daffodils. One reason the turbines have to be so high is because there isn’t enough wind for them to operate efficiently. (The wind turbine at Chesapeake College is 150 feet high.) Even at the skyscraper height proposed, they’ll be at the bottom of the efficiency range and will probably have to be subsidized by the federal government, forever.

Proponents (very few) of the Windoggles suggest that opposition comes mainly from NIMBYs (Not in My Back Yard). Since these will be seen or heard by virtually everyone in the county, I’m not sure that this is a legitimate argument.

After all, Washington, D.C. is right next door to Maryland. Do you want Martin O’Malley living there?