Butch Asks, “So…What About Solar Power And Progress?”

Like many of you, I have been reading the recent letters to the editor concerning the possible “solar farms” that may be arriving in our county. Just like the push for the so-called “windfarms,” residents are voicing their opinions and concerns…for and against. If you do a little research, you will discover that there are just as many disadvantages for solar energy as there are advantages. In fact, many scientists are of the opinion that if you take into account all that goes into producing solar energy…the mining, fabrication, on-site construction, upkeep, and ultimate disposal of the panels and equipment…that this form of energy is MORE harmful to the environment that fossel fuel energy. And that doesn’t even take into account that cloudy days produces little or no energy. And isn’t is odd that the companies promoting both of these use the term “farms,” when in all actuality they are industrial sites? I guess it makes the landowner feel less guilty when these companies install their “farms” next door to their neighbors and pocket the cash…and yes, that is what it all boils down to…MONEY…all in the name of farm innovation and “progress.”

According to the Oxford English dictionary, the definition of “progress” is “advancement to a further or higher stage, or to further or higher stages successively; growth, development, usually to a better state or condition; improvement, applied especially to manifestations of social and economic change or reform.”

I have listened to people in Montgomery County propose many changes through the years in the name of progress. Their arguments for change were very persuasive. In the 1960s, we were told that school consolidation would save money for taxpayers and provide a better education for our children. So…how did that turn out? More variety of classes…yes. A better education? Doubtful. I had a better education at Darlington High School. And when the once vibrant small towns lost their hometown schools, which were the heart and soul of each community, the towns started their decline. When I was growing up, you were lucky to find a parking spot on Main street in our little town in the evening. No problem now. And instead of driving four or five miles to see our children and grandchildren in school activities and sports…now it’s fifteen miles…one way. Taxes lower? Ha! Guess again.

Let’s take a look at farming. Farmers were told that they must farm more land and buy bigger equipment to survive. Well, the ones that could did just that. The others had to give up farming and find a job in town. Most farmers in Montgomery County today farm thousands of acres and have millions invested in equipment, buildings, etc. Are they happier now than they were in the 1950s and 1960s? There are farmers I know that are so nervous about cost inputs, prices, machinery payments, breakdowns, supply shortages, and weather that they can’t even sleep at night. Doesn’t sound like progress to me.

In the 1960s and 1970s, we were told that the large box stores and franchises represented progress. The selection would be greater and the prices cheaper. Well, for the most part, that is true. But let me ask you this…Do you enjoy shopping in a gigantic box store…or would you rather go back in time and shop at the Mom and Pop store in your little town? Yes, you may eat at a fast-food establishment on many occasions, but wouldn’t it be nice to sit down and have a meal cooked by Grace Brown at the Darlington Cafe…or enjoy an ice cream sundae served by Pee Wee Harmon at the Darlington drug store?

When I look out over the countryside in the evenings, I see fields of corn and beans and wheat. I see cattle and horses grazing in beautiful green pastures. I see rabbits, coyotes, deer, and many species of birds. This is the way it has been here in Montgomery County for many generations. Do you want to look out your window and see hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of solar panels? Let the large cities install these. After all, they have already ruined their landscape with factories, skyscrapers, fast food joints, and malls. Let them enjoy this so-called progress. Buy hey, it’s your land, if you want to have a get-rich, government-subsidized solar company install one of their solar “farms” on your property, then make a call to a local higher-up, who can arrange to rezone your agricultural property to industrial. And when you lease your land to the solar panel companies, don’t complain if your land becomes polluted if there is a fire or leakage…and be sure to let the company bury the worn-out panels on your property when a new form of energy in the future makes solar obsolete and the solar company files for bankruptcy. Oh yes, I forgot. If your property is far away from any neighbors or towns, you need to line up a full-time security guard…because I can guarantee you, as a former police officer and county Sheriff, that some idiot, prankster, drunk, or young hooligan…will try his aim with a .22 rifle to see how many solar panels he can shoot. Don’t believe me? Drive out near where I live and look at the holes in the road signs. Welcome to solar power. Welcome to “progress!”

John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 32 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.