STATION EDITORIAL

Posted December 26, 2023

This is a station editorial, I'm Randal J. Miller, station president.

I think I shared with you in this space a few months ago, how a friend told me his philosophy of the world as it's playing out:  Since we've conquered about everything that was thought to be impossible 100, 50, 25, or even 10 years ago, we have nothing left to fix or solve.   As a result, my friend says, we've gone to thiking today that what was wrong is now right.

Take the case of of Hamas' attack on Israel in October.   The United States has been a long-time ally of Israel, but sadly much of the sentiment in this country has been it's the Palestinians who have been wronged despite the horrible atrocities Hamas had inflicted on Israeli hostages.   Hamas has showed pictures of dragging or beheading babies and children.

And, this is supposed to be right?

Major U-S university presidents were grilled by Congress earlier in December on the fact demonstrations supporting the Palestinians have broken out on their campuses.  And what did they do?   Support such demonstrations under the guise of free speech.

I go back to what I said at the start of this editorial.  So, what's wrong is now right?   Evil is now good?

But, there IS hope.  A colleague of mine forwarded an article by marketing guru Roy Williams who read the book Don Quixote, written in 1605.  Williams extracts from the book, that civilization has lived in 40 year pendulums from good to evil, and back to good.  Williams' opinion is that we've had 40 years of evil, and that 2024 will be the year that pendulum swings back to starting towards good again.  I hope he's right.

That's our opinion.  We welcome yours.  Our e-mail address is editorial@randyradio.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Submitted December 7, 2023

Dear Editor:

The Illinois Chamber of Commerce takes pride in supporting employers across Illinois by coordinating with local governments to bring more economic development and employment opportunities to our state, building a more resilient local economy. 

To that extent, our Chamber hopes to see Wolf Carbon Solutions’ Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) pipeline break ground to begin construction soon. The Mt. Simon Hub will have significant positive economic impacts that will benefit Illinois’ economy, workforce and longstanding industries – while attracting new ones. 

The development of carbon capture infrastructure will position Illinois as a viable option for traditional industrial CO2 emitters looking to expand their operations. Conversely, we may see industries expand to neighboring states, or leave our state in the years to come, due to a lack of CCS infrastructure. In addition to attracting new industries and their investment dollars to Illinois, the Mt. Simon Hub will have an outsized impact on our long-standing agriculture industry as well. 

The ethanol plants that purchase corn from Illinois farmers will be able to increase their production while meeting emission standards by capturing their CO2. This will increase the volume of corn that ethanol producers can purchase and process from farmers – putting more money in the hands of our local farming community.  

These newfound revenues will ultimately find their way into our local economy, creating more local jobs and investments in local businesses. With an estimated $1.7 billion in total benefits from construction and a further $941 million in benefits from 2025-2036, the Mt. Simon Hub will be a landmark project and an economic boon to the Illinois economy. 

With that in mind, we hope our community will support this project to give Illinois a competitive edge in the race to retain and attract new industries while also playing our part in reducing global carbon emissions. 

Sincerely,

Clark Kaericher, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Executive Director of Technology and Healthcare, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Springfield, IL