We’ve been “lederhosened” by both some smooth-talking representatives of a company, SunStrom, headquartered in Germany, and some county employees. Even the headline of the Nov. 17 story “Event center gets energy boost: Solar panels installed free of charge will reap savings for county,” suggests the county received these solar panels totally free of charge. Of course as you read deeper in the story you read that SunStrom, which is providing the free installation of these panels, is being “paid by the county for the electricity” and “will receive federal and state incentives.” So really once again there is nothing free, and we the taxpayers are left holding the bag.
We live in a state where school bus service is on the chopping block, but there is plenty of money to get “free” solar panels for government buildings. Is there anyone in Vancouver, Olympia, or Washington, D.C., who possesses a lick of common sense?
Philip L. Johnson
Battle Ground
