Air Date: Week of October 20, 2006

Listeners write to tell us they like wind energy but they’re not happy about a piece on McDonald’s Happy Meals. That and more from the mailbag.

Transcript

YOUNG: Now it’s time now to hear from you, our listeners.

[MUSIC UP AND UNDER]

YOUNG: Several people were unhappy with our story about McDonalds giving away toy Hummers in its Happy Meals.

Steve O’Donnell hears us on WNYC in New York. He says we should really have grilled the McDonalds’ spokesperson. Mr. O’Donnell wants to know how much General Motors paid McDonalds, and where the company would draw the line in marketing to children. “What’s next?” he asks. “The Marlboro Happy Meal?”

But WMFE listener, Bill Potter of Orlando, Florida, thinks the anti-Hummer argument is a non-starter.

POTTER: It’s a toy they’re giving away. I don’t know that you can tell the difference between a toy Hummer with a gas engine, a diesel engine, or a hybrid. It’s a toy for children.

YOUNG: KQED listener, Ann Kroeber in California, was inspired by our story about a Colorado brewery that chose renewable energy, even though it costs a little more. She called it “a lovely interlude from the usual gloom and doom.”

But Mike Jacobs, in Concord, Massachusetts, says that story sounds a little out of date. Jacobs is with the American Wind Energy Association. He hears us on WBUR. He says wind is now the cheap energy choice for most of Colorado, and saves money for some companies.

Well, whether you think our stories are on the money, or off the mark, let us know about it. You can call the listener line anytime at 800-218-9988; that's 800-218-ninety-nine eighty-eight. Our e-mail address is comments at l-o-e dot org. Once again, comments at L-0-E dot org.