Giant sigh heard in newsrooms across the country as the media finds a disaster to report that isn't the result of Obama & Co. liberal policies. Not only is it safe to report, it's safe to hyperbolize and policitize! While the Japanese are suffering and in need of humanitarian aid, we are apparently more worried about energy policy.
Meanwhile, our economic situation continues to worsen with food and energy prices continuing to rise.
Showing posts with label Energy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Energy. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Xcel Sticks it to the Man!
Oh wait, no, I mean they (once again) are sticking it to the little guy.
The summer tiered billing (June - September) has kicked in and they've found creative ways to squeeze Colorado customers with a proration for billing periods with as little as one day in June. Add to that, many middle class homes are already over the 500KWH mark in the winter! Summer bills are set to sky-rocket.
People are pissed. But should they be?
These kinds of punitive use billing schemes have been creeping up everywhere. First with water, now electricity, who knows what next. And it's not by accident. There is a certain ideology that believes people should be punished for using resources even when there is a fixed cost for providing those resources. The voters (people) have done this to themselves.
Let me make this clear: In the information age, there is no limit to how our existence can be categorized and punished accordingly. And yes, it will be riddled with double-standards where a working person pays more for less while the welfare demographic is rewarded for using more and paying next to nothing (provided they continue to vote for the right people).
There is only one way to stop it--stop voting for them. Those of us who still have jobs can no longer afford their pseudo-green commie policies.
The summer tiered billing (June - September) has kicked in and they've found creative ways to squeeze Colorado customers with a proration for billing periods with as little as one day in June. Add to that, many middle class homes are already over the 500KWH mark in the winter! Summer bills are set to sky-rocket.
People are pissed. But should they be?
These kinds of punitive use billing schemes have been creeping up everywhere. First with water, now electricity, who knows what next. And it's not by accident. There is a certain ideology that believes people should be punished for using resources even when there is a fixed cost for providing those resources. The voters (people) have done this to themselves.
Let me make this clear: In the information age, there is no limit to how our existence can be categorized and punished accordingly. And yes, it will be riddled with double-standards where a working person pays more for less while the welfare demographic is rewarded for using more and paying next to nothing (provided they continue to vote for the right people).
There is only one way to stop it--stop voting for them. Those of us who still have jobs can no longer afford their pseudo-green commie policies.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Cap and Trade a Good Thing for the Free Market?
At first glance, no, it isn't.
"Cap and Trade" is indeed a direct and overt threat to the Free Market which houses, feeds, clothes, and shelters more Americans than government could ever hope to do.
The EPA has estimated Cap and Trade will cost the average household between $80-110 a year in excess energy costs. There is however no way to estimate what it will cost the country in terms of jobs (payrolls) and growth.
In a recession, efforts should be made to grow the economy, encourage investing, and reducing costs. Cap and Trade will create artificial restraints on the economy/GDP by increasing costs. This is something even the proponents will not argue and I fear is ultimately their goal.
Other policies have been silent killers like the CRA, Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid whose effects aren't felt for some time after implementation leaving plenty of room for politicking and finger pointing.
Cap and Trade will hurt the economy immediately and will force Americans who subscribe to populist politics to come to terms with consequences on their paychecks, standard of living, and the opportunities their children will have.
All of this should spark a conversation about what we are willing to give up in the name of populist politics and that may end up renewing respect for the Free Market.
"Cap and Trade" is indeed a direct and overt threat to the Free Market which houses, feeds, clothes, and shelters more Americans than government could ever hope to do.
The EPA has estimated Cap and Trade will cost the average household between $80-110 a year in excess energy costs. There is however no way to estimate what it will cost the country in terms of jobs (payrolls) and growth.
In a recession, efforts should be made to grow the economy, encourage investing, and reducing costs. Cap and Trade will create artificial restraints on the economy/GDP by increasing costs. This is something even the proponents will not argue and I fear is ultimately their goal.
Other policies have been silent killers like the CRA, Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid whose effects aren't felt for some time after implementation leaving plenty of room for politicking and finger pointing.
Cap and Trade will hurt the economy immediately and will force Americans who subscribe to populist politics to come to terms with consequences on their paychecks, standard of living, and the opportunities their children will have.
All of this should spark a conversation about what we are willing to give up in the name of populist politics and that may end up renewing respect for the Free Market.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Xcel and LEAP
Yeah, long time no post...
So I’ve started a new thing; whenever I feel someone has slighted me in a business transaction, I give that amount to a charity (provided I can afford it). I’m not sure exactly how this plays out logically but it makes me feel much better about getting ripped off and requires much less effort than getting angry, filing a small claims suit, etc… Maybe I’m creating justice from injustice, or maybe I’m just demonstrating better character. Don’t know.
In Colorado we have an energy assistance fund called LEAP (Low-Income Energy Assistance Program) run by Energy Outreach Colorado. I’ve been familiar with the fund for some time thanks to my monthly Xcel bill which encourages a one time donation or a recurring amount which can be added to my monthly Xcel bill. Xcel also claims to match customer contributions.
The LEAP fund came to mind after I read a story at 9 News about 47,000 customers in the Denver metro area having their power/gas cutoff for non-payment.
After doing some research on Xcel's website (digging deep) I found out that Xcel actually only matches the first $1M of donations for 2008. The fund already has an estimated $7M for 2008 (which does not mean they'll have enough to meet the need in the community according to their financials). Meanwhile, Xcel claims credit for "raising" the money that its customers donate to the fund over the matching limit.
So I decided to give directly to Energy Outreach Colorado via their website which checked to see if there was any available matching programs from Xcel or my employer (no, there wasn't).
Each time Xcel gets hammered in the local media for raising rates they are always quick to point to LEAP which I now know is somewhat dishonest since the customers are putting up the majority of the contributions. While $1M might seem like a large contribution, consider that Xcel recently gave $1.1M to Democratic National Convention for the convention in Denver. I make this comparison because the DNC contribution is party money, while LEAP funds help the low income, elderly, and disabled keep their lights on and stay warm.
Xcel obviously does not have its priorities straight.
So I’ve started a new thing; whenever I feel someone has slighted me in a business transaction, I give that amount to a charity (provided I can afford it). I’m not sure exactly how this plays out logically but it makes me feel much better about getting ripped off and requires much less effort than getting angry, filing a small claims suit, etc… Maybe I’m creating justice from injustice, or maybe I’m just demonstrating better character. Don’t know.
In Colorado we have an energy assistance fund called LEAP (Low-Income Energy Assistance Program) run by Energy Outreach Colorado. I’ve been familiar with the fund for some time thanks to my monthly Xcel bill which encourages a one time donation or a recurring amount which can be added to my monthly Xcel bill. Xcel also claims to match customer contributions.
The LEAP fund came to mind after I read a story at 9 News about 47,000 customers in the Denver metro area having their power/gas cutoff for non-payment.
After doing some research on Xcel's website (digging deep) I found out that Xcel actually only matches the first $1M of donations for 2008. The fund already has an estimated $7M for 2008 (which does not mean they'll have enough to meet the need in the community according to their financials). Meanwhile, Xcel claims credit for "raising" the money that its customers donate to the fund over the matching limit.
So I decided to give directly to Energy Outreach Colorado via their website which checked to see if there was any available matching programs from Xcel or my employer (no, there wasn't).
Each time Xcel gets hammered in the local media for raising rates they are always quick to point to LEAP which I now know is somewhat dishonest since the customers are putting up the majority of the contributions. While $1M might seem like a large contribution, consider that Xcel recently gave $1.1M to Democratic National Convention for the convention in Denver. I make this comparison because the DNC contribution is party money, while LEAP funds help the low income, elderly, and disabled keep their lights on and stay warm.
Xcel obviously does not have its priorities straight.
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