Comment dit-on “profit” en Français? Veronique De Rugy over on the Corner:

Last week, I was listening to a debate in France about the use of Eolienne windmills in France. Interestingly, after putting all of their electric lines underground, the French are putting these ugly, low-efficiency, bird- and bat-killing windmills all over the country. There were four people on the pro-Eolienne side and only one on the other, and there was an economist specialized in energy technology who was supposed to be the voice of reason and facts.
I won’t mention most of the crazy things that were said during this debate, because they were no different than the nonsense we hear on these issues here. At some point a listener sent in a question via the Internet (not via the Minitel) that asked, basically, “Why would we keep using these Eolienne when they cost a fortune and are not profitable and can’t produce much energy?”
That’s when everyone turned to the economist. His response was so French that I thought it was worth sharing it with you:
“First, I would like to dispute the idea that Eolienne windmills aren’t profitable. Once one adds all the subsidies and financial support the industry receives from the French government and the European Community, it is losing very little money.” He went on to explain that “all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.”
It’s not as if American economists don’t say their fair share of stupid things, but if that’s the definition of a profit in France, then I guess we have an explanation for many of our economic differences in the last 20 years.