There was a time when it was obvious the sun took a daily orbit around our planet, to our benefit, and many worshiped that process.
This is a lead-in to my thoughts about the Crown Hydro phenomenon.
By that I mean this largely moribund hobby-project that has languished for years, appearing always to be motivated as a subsidy-garnering thing of some wealthy individuals who have banded into a profit-seeking effort having the business name, "Crown Hydro." Set a Google Alert for that, and stay informed.
This post is from a failed effort to post a comment to a recent post at Political Muse's Liberal in the Land of Conservatives blog, the failure being probably due to the browser security settings I have for third-party cookies so that the "are you a human" copy the letter-number thing fails to completely load giving me an image to respond to. Blue Man also posted recently about the Musings, and I will simply republish my comments to him, along with what I had intended to add to the very interesting comment thread the Muse attained.
These two linked posts are not the start of the Crown Hydro Phenom, but rather the most recent blogging. Two-Putt Tommy at MN Progressive Project also has posted a bit about it, e.g., here.
Start with those three links, those three blogs, and focus upon the Muse's comment thread to see there are skeptics and names surfacing. And maintain your own healthy skepticism, in learning more. Please, also, someone do the research, and get a cast of characters for this drama, and bio histories of the lifetime-long moves and shakings these folks have done. The view, instead of a window on the view. That's starting to enter the discussion; but people at play, motives and economics - follow the money - always is illuminating. That said, again the Muse's link AND comment thread that this failed intended comment touches, is HERE:
This is an interesting comment thread. I might easily agree with my friends.
Question: Who's looked at whether, absent subsidy, this hydro thing would be a sound business investment?
Question: Why does Minneapolis have a separate Park Board, as a political entity, paying substantial lobbying fees for its interests, in competition with the City itself, lobbying for its interest? Is Balkanization of a City's political interests, incentives, powers, and needs a good idea, or a bad one?
Question: Does anyone have a good quick history on how the Park Board became so autonomous?
Question: Crown Hydro languished for years. Why the present insistent drumbeat? Who's behind it? Eva said a thing or two about people getting on payroll.
After watching the Tinklenberg campaign and looking at the man's ways and means, I have less respect for lobbyists than before. "Oberstar" seems to be Elwyn's favorite word, and despite lore, we seem to be a government of men more than one of principles.
Big question in it all: absent a subsidy most appealing to those on the higher income spectrum where tax breaks count most heavily, is this a sound venture - or a tax-break small scale hobby proposal of fat cats?
Does anyone have a cogent, well-researched answer? So far, Eva's been best at naming names and delving into motivations. What about the economics - sound or unsound, absent subsidy?
On Blue Man's post, here, I wrote this comment:
The devil always lurks in the details. You, Muse, and Tommy are seeing the executive summary, and looking for opposition detail. If it is an iceberg you believe threat free, shouldn't the pack of you also be doing a bit of looking below the water line? Just a thought. Only that. There have been superficially charming people I've met, but manipulative when you get to know them. Just a thought. Part of information is origin and communication. Who's beating the loudest drum, off blog?
Avidor's a skeptic and I would not dismiss that easily, although he and I have had differences of opinion. Who are the proponents, and how are they getting their position out, using which advocates?
Just a thought.
Beyond the two inquisitive comments, I am still too ignorant of what's happening, the ins-and-outs of the Crown Hydro Phenomenon, to say much else.
Questions always are easier than answers, particularly in the realm of scientific method where the evidence and supporting arguments must be cogently presented for community scrutiny.
However, without questioning, heliocentricity might have taken several more centuries to gain sway.
So, who are the people with meat in the fire, and what are the true motivational economics to the Crown Hydro Phenomenon?
Let's have less rhetoric and more truth. Less naked opinion, and more information. Less heat and more light. If you want to parade this issue, this thing around town, first what is it, who's behind it, and why?
As a first step for commentators, who's got meat in the fire, who's only expressing disinterested opinions? I have no economic stake, no fees from any source, and that's my public disclosure in writing about Crown Hydro. No close friends or family have any stake in it. Is any blogger in a position of interest with the thing, so that conflict of interest arguably is at play? Brodkorb's had that skeleton shaken at him at least once, so let's flesh out that as a first step to logical and dispassionate analysis.
Thus far, it's been more argument than information, the executive summary tip of the iceberg shown and then pro and con opinion over the iceberg. Put another way there's the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid dimension:
"Who are those guys?"
Is it substantial, or little beyond tax-shelter play of the rich?
_______UPDATE_______
All of us have made mistakes, sometimes making us look a bit foolish. Political Muse, here, linked to lobbyist MaryAnn Campo's website, this screenshot is from the Campo LLC website, this lobbying "successes" page [click to enlarge and read]:
Were I a chiropractor, ...