Governor’s School

The state of Virginia has these summer programs they call "Governor’s School". A kid gets in by being nominated, writing an essay, being chosen by the school, then the county, and then the state. Out of every other sophomore and junior in the state. There are several programs including: acting, humanities, art, foreign language, science and math, technology, and agriculture. Well I want into humanities. They only take 115 of us (its more then any other program) and I made it past the school level, but my essay isn't that... great. Its good and would get me an A in my English class, but that’s cause it's written in the IB format, and well, they want something "punchier". I'm not sure what they mean, so I offer to your expertise and experience. Any help is welcome, so c'mon and pull out the red pen and get to work. Just remember it has to be 500 words (I can stretch it by about 25 though) and at the moment it's exactly 498. Essay in the extended entry.

Prompt: Henry Mencken a popular 20th century columnist once said that "For every human problem there is a neat, simple solution; and it is always wrong." In an essay, 300-500 words long, argue for its merit, inadequacy or inadequacy. If you disagree for with Mencken provide your own maxim.

Henry Mencken, a popular newspaper columnist, once said “For every human problem there is a neat, simple solution; and it is always wrong.” This maxim is proved by the need for alternatives to the use of fossil fuels. A great number of ecologically minded groups have demanded the increased usage of alternative energy sources. Among their suggestions are the use of windmills, watermills and hydroelectric power. These alternatives appear to be an easy answer, but unfortunately it is not as simple as it seems.

In Norway, the government commissioned an experimental underwater “windmill like” project. These watermills use the ocean tides to rotate its blades. The $11 million undertaking only produced 700,000 kilowatt hours of pure, clean, energy. In practical terms, this means the watermills could only provide power to approximately 35 homes a year. The cost of this energy source far outweighs its benefits.

Traditional windmills have their own set of problems. First and foremost, wind is not always a constant, nor is it predictable. The more serious downfall of using windmills, are the major ecological problems their use creates. It’s been discovered that windmills have a tremendous effect on the local weather patterns and bird life. In Oklahoma, a wind farm was built with 10,000 turbines. After only a few months, there was a noticed change in the area’s weather patterns. The turbines actually altered air currents, resulting in drought conditions for farms located downwind. In addition, windmills are placed in the middle of bird migration patterns because of the optimal wind currents. This disturbance of natural migratory patterns seems to have caused as much as a 60% decline in bird population. Darwin may have believed in survival of the fittest; but its doubtful he took 50-meter long, spinning blades into consideration when stating his theory.

Another source of alternative energy to be considered is hydroelectricity. A major drawback of hydroelectric power is that it requires the building of massive dams. While dams serve the dual purpose of harvesting energy and controlling water flow, their usage also has many destructive properties. Once
built, the structures are only viable for 100 years of use. Normal decay and natural disasters could result in floods, causing the death of thousands. Valuable farmland is often lost when it becomes submerged in the dam’s newly created lakes and reservoirs. Furthermore, dams alter the surrounding land and water
areas which causes the destruction of natural animal habitats. It’s been discovered that hydroelectric power contributes to the death and extinction of both land animals and water life.

While using fossil fuels has it’s own set of problems, for now it seems to be the most reliable source available. The proposed alternatives are just not up to the task. Henry Mencken was correct, every human problem does have a simple solution, however one man’s solution is almost always the wrong answer for someone else. The closest humanity may come to a viable solution is through a compromise, using various methods, but within reasonable limits.