Then how is it that these alternate suppliers can provide power at
10% less than the regular power company here in NJ? Why is it that competition that results in everything from fast food to autos at market efficient prices, is a bad thing when it comes to energy?
At least in my state our former democrat governor was a big proponent of and the one that trumpeted deregulation when it happened.
Moral of the story? There is no difference between politicians and the red vs blue stuff is what they do to keep everyone occupied.
Yes, because it's proven to work, as anyone who has taken even a basic course in economics knows. Even the libs who have studied economics know it. But they pretend, because they have ulterior motives.
Yes. What we got out of utility deregulation in Ohio was the mandate to still pay high utility bills even when we conserve and reduce the use of electricity or gas. That's all thanks to the "service" and other charges added to the bill that are not based upon use. And, of course, there's the confusion of trying to figure out the best deal (a betting scam?) every few months.
Tomsic
Actually things were working quite well pre-deregulation. Our electric utility was well run, making a buck, their stock was paying a good dividend and they provided power at a fair price.
There were numerous players touting "10% savings" in my state but that was marketing vs reality. If you closely analyzed the savings none actually provided it over the long term.
I believe there is only one reseller "alternate supplier" left for us to choose at this point.
The lefties throw in *more* regulations. When it falls over, they complain about the "deregulation".
"Competition" is about more than just price. We have about twenty electricity suppliers in my area. They compete on price, sure, but others offer competitive challenges:
30 years ago, the local electric company had a highly skilled staff of maintenance people that worked year round trimming trees back from power lines and maintaining the lines as well. Power outages were maybe once every 5 years, if that, and short in duration when they did happen.
With deregulation, the power company had to trim back their workforce to a skeleton crew. There has been so much cost cutting locally that line maintenance is almost nonexistant. Power outages caused by storms are frequent and typically last 48 hours or so.
The bottom line is that any money I might have saved on my electric bill, I've had to spend triple that running a generator.
Fuck deregulation! Put it back the way it was.
True. They could be the worst offenders.
BTW, I remember a $39.95 phone plan that was supposed to include everything. They don't tell you the bill comes to about $60.
You're dreaming.
Had nothing to do with "deregulation", which was no such thing.
"Deregulation" was no such thing.
If you don't like all those charges, get a prepaid plan.
But there is usually a difference in the why. The Dem probably saw it as a way to punish a group that had gotten too big by smashing it into little bitty pieces. The GOP would have done the same thing with a more business-centric outlook.
It would be rare indeed for the delivery portion of an electric utility to be deregulated. I'll bet that the company you're complaining about is still a regulated utility.
re: "With deregulation, the power company had to trim back their workforce to a skeleton crew. There has been so much cost cutting locally that line maintenance is almost nonexistant. "
Tell that to the crew that is replacing a half dozen or so poles in my neighborhood.
I've got 2 ploes in front of my house right now...new and old. Next week they'll be transferring the wires.
It actually works out great for me since I park right next to the old pole, which prevented me from opening the passenger side door if I backed in. They've positioned the new pole far enough away that I won't have that problem any more.
The only downside is that they cut a huge "U" into a very old pine tree at the end of the street to open it up for the wires. Someone, many years ago, had strapped 2 x 4's to the wires where they ran through the tree so that the wood rested on the branches, not the wires. Those supports will no longer be needed since the tree crew removed all of the branches on the inside the tree so that wires hang free.
Can you say butt-ugly?
in my state labor generally isn't taxed. shipping is labor, so I doubt that it is taxed
Yes, Enron was just one of those shining examples of how well market forces work
Perhaps it varies. From the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue:
"If the item(s) being shipped is taxable, the shipping and handling charges are also subject to tax. If the item(s) being shipped is not subject to Sales Tax, neither are the shipping and handling charges. In the case where items being shipped are of a mixed (both taxable and nontaxable) nature, then the shipping and handling charges for the entire shipment are subject to tax."
Enron was more a shining example of how little government entities actually understand how market forces work and illustrates what happens when they try to legislate to their desires instead of how the real world works.
I hop you don't have the same crew that did the pole in front of my house. They came out and measure, marked and had all sort of painted line and arrows. Then they proceeded to drill right into my sewer line. Planted the pole and left. It was only a portion of the line so I had some flow and it took weeks for the backup to happen.
Did they repair it? No, I had to have it done and put in a claim for the $3500 job.
Sure, but the tree probably should have just been taken down. One of the problems we have in CT is the tree huggers don't want radical trimming. They'd rather complain that the power is out and no one came to fix it yet.
Knew it would take long to blame the liberals for making Enron out to be thieves
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