As my county, Prince George's,
works itself up to a frenzy over gambling as a sure bet economic engine for
sustainable development and growth, I take this opportunity to lay out a
conversation that could have taken place now if only our political elite
were not so invested int short term gain for a few. Bright and early this
morning, Baltimore's abc2 wrote, "Minority business owners want the Maryland legislature to use its final
days pass a measure to develop offshore wind energy."[1] Businesses which will drive high paying jobs are pushing the Maryland Senate
to follow the House of Delegates and pass the Maryland Offshore
Wind Energy Act of 2012.
We could be discussing the enabling of a county of
energy initiatives showcasing our strategic plan that would link the State's
energy policies to Prince George's County's support of investments that could
take advantage of the U.S Department of Energy's grant program which seeks to
provide support for regionally-diverse Advanced
Technology Demonstration Projects through collaborative partnerships.
Instead, of course, we are probably planning the color of the blackjack table
cloth concerned as to its impact on the part time competitive minimum wage jobs
that we are going to create.
We could be challenging our best and brightest to make
Prince George's County a hi- tech center of alternative energy systems using
in part funding, technical assistance, and federal coordination which would
accelerate deployment of these demonstration projects. In partnership with DOE
and the State of Maryland the county could work to eliminate uncertainties,
mitigate risks, and help create a robust U.S. Offshore Wind Energy Industry. We
could be reading the county created plan that outlines how it would support
businesses and job creation by creating an investment atmosphere in the
county where businesses work to design,
build and install innovative offshore wind systems in Maryland and U.S. "waters
in the most rapid and responsible manner possible, while expediting the
development and deployment of innovative offshore wind energy systems with a
credible potential for lowering the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) below 10
cents / kWh or the local hurdle price at which offshore wind can compete with
other regional generation sources without subsidies."
We could be
reading such a report but we most likely won't because there is no money to
fund such a strategic plan, all of the available funds and energy having gone
to casino support and advocacy. The US government knows that "with over
4,000 GW of gross potential that is relatively close to key load centers,
offshore wind energy can help the nation reduce its greenhouse gas emissions,
diversify its energy supply, provide cost-competitive electricity to key
coastal regions, and stimulate economic revitalization of key sectors of the
economy." Prince George's County however seems to just know about
vigorish.[2]
[1]
Push today for offshore wind bill Civil and business
leaders push for offshore. abc2.com. April 6, 2012 [accessed April 6, 2012]
[2] Vigorish, or simply the vig, also known as juice or the take, is the amount
charged by a bookmaker, or bookie, for his services. In the United States it also
means the interest on a shark's loan. The term is Yiddish slang originating from
the Russian word for winnings, выигрыш vyigrysh [1]. Bookmakers use this practice to make money on
their wagers regardless of the outcome. To minimize their risk, bookmakers do
not want to have an interest in either side winning in a given sporting event.
They are interested, instead, in getting equal betting on both outcomes of the
event. In this way, the bookmaker minimizes his risk and always collects a
small commission from the vigorish. The
bookmaker will normally adjust the odds or the line, to attract equal
action on each side of an event. Wikipedia:
[accessed April 6, 2012] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigorish
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