Wisconsin is giving $45 million in bond money it recently received from the federal government to a maker of wind-turbine blades to help it set up a factory in Wisconsin Rapids, reports Thomas Content of the Journal Sentinel. The new wind power factory could create about 600 non-polluting, non-violent jobs, a welcome and refreshing use of state and federal money. Energy Composites, which makes, among other things, sulfur dioxide scrubbers for coal-fired power plants, is a smaller, local corporation now employing 67 people.
Also appearing, as counterpoint, in yesterday's Journal Sentinel was a full-page ad paid for by General Electric. GE Healthcare, a division of GE, has significant infrastructure in Southeastern Wisconsin towards the making of medical devices, but the ad is in reference to GE's building of military jet engines. It seems that Congress may stop funding a new jet engine GE is working on for the "Joint Strike Fighter" (haven't we enough fighting jets?) while another maker of military jet engines could get $100 billion ( a "monopoly", says GE) over the next 30 years. "We don't think this is fair," says GE. (Monopoly is only fair if that monopoly is you.) If you are interested in helping the military wing of GE right this gross injustice, you can go to this website and learn all about it.
Personally, I prefer engines powered by a peaceable breeze. Which is unfair, I suppose, the wind being a monopoly.