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Indybay Feature

Buy Out Not Bail Out: Public Power NOW!!

by Ted M. Coopman (ted [at] roguecom.com)
PG&E and Southern California Edison are being called on their debts to power suppliers today, setting in motion bankruptcy proceedings. Now is the time for the State of California to end years of abuse and make electricity and natural gas publicly owned utilities.
PG&E and Southern California Edison are being called on their debts to power supplies setting in motion bankruptcy proceedings. Now is the time for the State of California to end years of abuse and make electricity and natural gas publicly owned utilities.

The threatened rolling blackouts finally hit California yesterday coinciding with the arrival of many peoples higher power bills. Moreover, PG&E has threatened to cut of natural gas supplies to some customers during the coldest time of the year. These acts of corporate extortion are designed to punish the public and the state for not, once again, bailing these companies out of poor business decisions. The punishment began last week as PG&E and Southern California Edison announced lay-off's targeted at employees who handle direct service to its customers. It is reasonable to expect that more money could have been saved by a steep reduction in the bloated salaries of management. These corporate thugs have squandered their assets and monetary reserves and now are trying to beat the state into submission to cover their greed and poor business practices. They blame de-regulation and present themselves as victims, despite the fact that they were in the forefront of designing and approving the very system that now works against them.

However, this represents an opportunity that will not come around again for a long time: the chance for the state of California to acquire transmission and generation facilities at bargain prices. It is clear to even the most casual observer that the only stable and reasonable way to operate utilities is under public ownership. The states public owned utilities, from LA to Sacramento, offer uninterrupted service and rates less than half of what privately owned utilities charge. It is dangerous and foolhardy to expect a for-profit corporation, whose first responsibility is to it's stockholders, to give the needs of its customers priority.

We have to act now to embolden our elected officials to buy-out the assets of PG&E and Southern California Edison, declaring eminent domain if necessary. There could not be a better investment the state could make in out collective future. The benefits would be felt immediately in lower bills and consistent power supplies, not to mention ending a decades long reign of abuse by PG&E and Southern California Edison. Another advantage is that public ownership would guarantee compliance with state environmental laws, laws that the power companies say need to be waived to end the current crisis. I'm sure most IMC readers are unenthusiastic about corporations as well as government, but in this case I believe we need to demand that the state take action on our behalf.

Take action by emailing Governor Davis
<mailto:governor [at] governor.ca.gov> and your State Assembly person NOW. Go to <http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/defaulttext.asp> to find your representative. Demand power by and for the people.
by Robert Clark (elbowroom [at] harborside.com)
After seeing eminent domain working so well when it is smallholders property in the way of proposed freeways and road widenings, Expropriating a corporate 'persons' real property is not too much to ask, in order to make natural monopolys an asset held as part of the commonweal, then its on to regain the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum!
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