Peppering every thought and process with quotes from Mark Twain. Is that really a thing in Hannibal, Missouri? Apparently so, judging by this article in the Hannibal Courier-Post. I guess I've been derelict in my communications efforts directed toward good ol' Bob and his friends at the Hannibal Board of Public Works by not including a trite quote from Twain as a preamble to my opinion. My bad. I hereby remedy that failing.
Reporter Danny Henley surely knows
Reporter Danny Henley surely knows
The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice.
MARK TWAIN, Following the Equator
Because he obviously didn't look at the actual "contract" between MJMEUC and Grain Belt Express before writing his article. He relied on Bob Stevenson's sly "memo" to simply report incorrect facts and opinion as "news."
To string incongruities and absurdities together in a wandering and sometimes purposeless way, and seem innocently unaware that they are absurdities, is the basis of the American art, if my position is correct.
MARK TWAIN, "How to Tell a Story"
The contract clearly states it is for transmission capacity ONLY. Henley needs to quit reporting lies such as this: "Hannibal was also given the chance to buy electricity for as little as 2 cents per kilowatt hour (kwh)..." No, they weren't given the opportunity to buy electricity. They were given the opportunity to buy transmission capacity. That would be like buying an extension cord, Danny, not signing up for a new account with the electric company. One provides a means to move electricity from one location to another, and the other actually supplies the electricity. Without electricity, the extension cord is useless. And there have been no quotes offered from electricity suppliers. None.
Henley reports that Bob Stevenson read a "memo" he had written to the BPW at the June meeting of the Board, lamenting that Hannibal had missed out on Grain Belt Express "opportunities."
Henley reports that Bob Stevenson read a "memo" he had written to the BPW at the June meeting of the Board, lamenting that Hannibal had missed out on Grain Belt Express "opportunities."
In order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to obtain.
MARK TWAIN, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Grain Belt Express has a fence that needs whitewashing at the Missouri Public Service Commission. Someone took away Bob's paintbrush. Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
Bob thinks the project is "moving forward without Hannibal." It's okay, Bob, the project isn't moving anywhere. It can't go anywhere without eminent domain authority from the MO Public Service Commission, and that contract isn't a guarantee of success. In fact, if you would actually read it yourself, Bob, you'd see that it's not even a firm contract, but sort of like a pre-contract, where MJMEUC can back out at any time up to 60 days before Grain Belt Express energizes its line.
Bob also expects to receive an offer from MJMEUC to join its useless pre-contract, even though he chose to wax poetic about missed opportunities at the Board's June meeting. Of course Hannibal is not precluded from buying a paint brush and joining in the whitewashing. It just made better theater to pretend Hannibal has missed some rare opportunity.
Hannibal should beware unsubstantiated claims that Grain Belt Express will save Hannibal (or any other municipality) money. It's clear from GBE's "offer" to MJMEUC that the purported $10M/year savings aren't the result of any "study" by MJMEUC (as falsely reported in the press) but a summary of Clean Line's "preliminary calculations."
Bob thinks the project is "moving forward without Hannibal." It's okay, Bob, the project isn't moving anywhere. It can't go anywhere without eminent domain authority from the MO Public Service Commission, and that contract isn't a guarantee of success. In fact, if you would actually read it yourself, Bob, you'd see that it's not even a firm contract, but sort of like a pre-contract, where MJMEUC can back out at any time up to 60 days before Grain Belt Express energizes its line.
Bob also expects to receive an offer from MJMEUC to join its useless pre-contract, even though he chose to wax poetic about missed opportunities at the Board's June meeting. Of course Hannibal is not precluded from buying a paint brush and joining in the whitewashing. It just made better theater to pretend Hannibal has missed some rare opportunity.
Hannibal should beware unsubstantiated claims that Grain Belt Express will save Hannibal (or any other municipality) money. It's clear from GBE's "offer" to MJMEUC that the purported $10M/year savings aren't the result of any "study" by MJMEUC (as falsely reported in the press) but a summary of Clean Line's "preliminary calculations."
Preliminary calculations, assuming existing production tax credits for wind project participation in the project, could reduce costs by as much as $10M/year or $10 per megawatt hour compared to delivery of other wind projects from SPP to MISO.
It's nothing but Clean Line's made up "preliminary calculations!" None of the figures in this "calculation" has any validity.
There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
MARK TWAIN, Autobiography
Despite his fretful report that other cities are scheduling council action long before they sign a contract, and urging Hannibal to do so quickly in order not to miss out on this great opportunity, Bob needs to remember that he is merely a servant of the people.
Government is merely a servant – merely a temporary servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn’t. Its function is to obey orders, not originate them.
MARK TWAIN, The Bible According to Mark Twain
There's no danger "up to 200 MW" of transmission capacity is going to disappear like hot Krispy Kreme donuts. There's plenty of fence for everyone to paint!
The harder Bob tries to sell GBE, like the world's worst circus sideshow barker, the more suspicious he looks to the people of Hannibal. Here's what Twain would tell him about his failure:
The harder Bob tries to sell GBE, like the world's worst circus sideshow barker, the more suspicious he looks to the people of Hannibal. Here's what Twain would tell him about his failure:
Its name is Public Opinion. It is held in reverence. It settles everything. Some think it is the voice of God.
MARK TWAIN, Europe and Elsewhere
Trust your ratepayers, Bob. After you see what happens at the Public Service Commission, you're going to be thanking your lucky stars that it didn't happen to you.
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