Thank you, dubya, may I have another?

[grrrr]

So now our lusterless leader has come up with another way to screw us and pass the savings along to his corporate buddies. He is attempting to "deregulate" electrical power transmission and turn it over to an open market. Sounds good, doesn't it?

Well the catch is that all of the rural electric co-operatives have had the ability to purchase electricity from federal dams at the cost of generation since their inception. Under the proposed new rules, they (meaing us, the consumers) would be forced to pay what the market will bear. Energy traders (like Enron) can purchase and re-sell that power for a hefty profit, thus driving the market up.

Our local coop is forecasting a 20% to 40% annual rise in electricity costs over the next three years.

Vote Republican and pass the KY!

[Buster Highmen]

Let us not forget that one of the main al Qaeda demands is to remove US military bases from Saudi Arabia.

Remember that we will not yield an inch to terrorist demands!

[DJSapp]

Wow. Is this due the the great success of California's power deregulation?

[PlayHarder]

Yeah, power deregulation has been raging success up here in Alberta. Well, at least for the power companies profits.

[Trackhead]

http://altura.speedera.net/ccimg.cat...ts/3288299.jpg

Get your own tube free at the voting booth this November. Or fly to New York for the convention to get your free sample.

[Stu Gotz]

Raise you right hand and repeat after me. "Free markets are the balm for all of you difficulties."

Again, and this time give me some feeling!

[Buster Highmen]

That and rewriting the overtime laws. The AFL-CIO is not so thrilled.

[CUBUCK]

It sounds like the change in overtime laws could be very interesting. Here is a good article on it. It looks like manual labor and blue collar jobs will not be affected.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/08/22/ove....ap/index.html

[mr_gyptian]

Originally posted by Buster Highmen
That and rewriting the overtime laws. The AFL-CIO is not so thrilled.

Why would they be? It might mean they would have to protect the workers they represent with this thing called "collective bargaining" in which they negotiate terms agreeable to the workers. That's the theory, I guess.

Oh and one of the central tenets of Rummy's philosophy as SecDef is realigning the Armed Forces was to take our un needed troops from Saudi Arabia. You may have also heard about another stage of the realignment involving Germany, Japan, and South Korea.

As far as the Power deregulation goes. The California government fucked it up by trying re-regulate who and where the utilities could purchase the power from. These supposedly profiteering trading and power companies got their asses absolutely handed to them. Enron, El Paso etc are swirling in the shitter right now.

[Buster Highmen]

Originally posted by mr_gyptian
Why would they be? It might mean they would have to protect the workers they represent with this thing called "collective bargaining" in which they negotiate terms agreeable to the workers. That's the theory, I guess.

The fact that you don't understand is nothing new. You seem to make itr abundantly clear without even trying every day.

Oh and one of the central tenets of Rummy's philosophy as SecDef is realigning the Armed Forces was to take our un needed troops from Saudi Arabia. You may have also heard about another stage of the realignment involving Germany, Japan, and South Korea.

Wrap it however you want, but the DoD is doing exactly what al Qaeda has told them to. Bravo Rummy.

As far as the Power deregulation goes. The California government fucked it up by trying re-regulate who and where the utilities could purchase the power from. These supposedly profiteering trading and power companies got their asses absolutely handed to them. Enron, El Paso etc are swirling in the shitter right now.

What else can you expect from the Oriface of Propoganda, but to spin the facts away from any Federal responsibility.

[grrrr]

Originally posted by mr_gyptian
As far as the Power deregulation goes. spin spin spin

"Franklin Roosevelt delivered a speech in Portland during the 1932 presidential campaign. He promised that the next great federal hydroelectric project would be built on the Columbia River to prevent extortion against the public by the giant electric utility holding companies then dominant in the region. " - Bonneville Power Administration

For over 60 years, our rural electric coop has purchased electricity from BPA at the cost of production. It sells that electricity to the members (us) at the cost of delivery.

"The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) wants to create Grid West, a regional transmission organization. The new organization would not produce energy but would market it."- (local rea)

Under this new proposal, our local REA would be forced to bid on electricity from Grid West (a new government beauracracy) to buy the power. Energy traders and for-profit utilities would also get the right to outbid the REA's, and take power away from them, diverting it to, say, California. At a profit.

"Sixty years the federal government agreed to give first dibs on the power produced by the federally built dams to non-profit public utilities. The cost of the power is based on the how much it costs to produce it." - (local rea)

Spin it all you want, Mr. G. The only ones who will profit are the Ken Lays and the George Bushs. This proposal is being pushed hard by for-proit energy companies and energy traders. Guess what - they're not doing it so they'll lose money.

[two_planks]

Originally posted by PlayHarder
Yeah, power deregulation has been raging success up here in Alberta. Well, at least for the power companies profits.

The best thing about deregulation here is that the provincial govt allows the power companies to charge as a "short fall" on our bill. What this means is that they didn't make as much money as they wanted a few years ago so they get to tack a few extra bucks on to every bill now to make up for it. How sweet is that.

[mr_gyptian]

Buster, you fucking hump, what do you think organized labor does? Negotiate with companies to uphold labor laws? No, they negotiate better terms on behalf of the workers(in theory anyway).

If not, enlighten me.

So, if the reason we have troops in Saudi Arabia was to protect Saudi Arabia from an attack by Iraq. The threat of Iraq and Saddam has since been neutralized. You would still support keeping 5000 troops there to "prove a point"?


FDR also promised that he wouldn't send any "American boys to fight a war". Are to hold him to that? He also tried to pack the supreme court to forward his agenda. Are we to honor that? He also enacted legislation putting the retirement age at 65 when average life expectancy was around 57. Average life expectancy is around 80 now, think we could change it?

Spin my ass. Enron and El Paso aren't in the grave yard? Ask Nixon about price fixing(if you really want to have fun, ask Rummy about his part in it).

[Tavi]

Originally posted by CUBUCK
It sounds like the change in overtime laws could be very interesting. Here is a good article on it. It looks like manual labor and blue collar jobs will not be affected.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/08/22/ove....ap/index.html

I'm going to be self-serving here for a second: This directly affects me and my bottom line. This is the second time since the inception of W'ism that he has passed policy that has greatly hindered my ability to grow business and in this case, collect my keep. Any person that is perceived as a skilled professional or in a management position is applying the KY at this moment if they are not employed under exempt status. All this does is encourage employers to eliminate exempt status employees and hire them at hourly rates that are below benefit standards and then work the shit out of them while not paying benefits or overtime. In the great words of Dick Cheney: this administration can "go fuck themselves!"

Okay, sorry. I'm over it for now.

[two_planks]

Oh yeah, and thats on top of my $300 gas bill in february.