Wind at their backs: Powerful Democrats help Chinese energy firm chase stimulus money

[bossy22]

Source: MSNBC

WASHINGTON — Top Democratic fundraisers and lobbyists with links to the White House are behind a proposed wind farm in Texas that stands to get $450 million in stimulus money, even though a Chinese company would operate the farm and its turbines would be built in China.

The farm’s backers also have close ties with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who, at the height of his hard-fought re-election bid this fall, helped blunt congressional criticism over stimulus dollars possibly going to create jobs in China by endorsing a proposal by the Chinese company to build a factory in his home state. Although his campaign received thousands of dollars in donations from the wind farm’s backers and Reid stood on stage with them at a campaign event they hosted, his office declined to answer any questions about the wind farm’s organizers or their plans for Nevada.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40565987/ns/business-going_green/

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Wonderful.....Our tax money at work

[drm604]

1. There's no one here who can build turbines?

This makes no sense to me. I understand that the presence of an operating wind farm will itself create jobs but why not also create jobs building the turbines? How many years will it be before this wind farm is up and running and hiring people?

There's no way this couldn't have been done here with American companies? These are our tax dollars and the whole point of spending them is to stimulate the economy.

[bossy22]

3. it could be done....thats what pisses me off

GE has many plants around the country that build wind turbines, and im pretty sure there are other companies that build them in the U.S. too. I just wrote my senator (Schumer) about this issue urging him to stop it and make it so the turbine and installation with be with an american company using american made equipment

[drm604]

5. Thinking about this some more

I suppose that since it is Chinese money we're spending, we might as well give it to the Chinese. :sarcasm:

[toppertwot]

6. Wind turbines built in San Angelo, Texas

Right here in San Angelo Texas is a brand new wind turbine factory, that is owned by a local San Angelo Steel company in a joint venture with a company from Portugal! San Angelo is located in central West Texas in the oil patch.

[somone]

2. With Friends Like These

the American working class has nothing to worry about

[saigon68]

7. Harry Reid is part of the problem

[Autumn]

4. The tax breaks have created too may jobs.

Too bad they are all secret republican jobs because as we all know there are no unemployed republicans.

[howaboutme]

8. Do you find this story about Harry Reid and our stimulous money going to China disturbing?

The politicians in Washington like Harry Reid strut around with their US flag lapel pins on while selling out our country and they've been at it since 1980.

Any US tax dollar spent on energy stimulus should go to either US companies employing Americans, or directly to American households as energy incentives so that they can install solar or wind on the footprint of their own property and not disrupt the environment or create grid problems.

Instead Harry Reid wheels and deals for his own benefit and for other politically connected hacks while sending more of our tax dollars to China. I'm feeling like the angry Tea Party types where I just want to vote them out of office, and then vote the next corrupt bastard out too, until we get someone that works for us.