Looks like FPL will get the nod to raise rates by 1 billion over 5 years. Their cost: They hired 30 State lobbyists and doled out campaign contributions to State legislators and Governor candidates of $4 million. The bills say they don't need approval of State regulators. It will stifle any competition and we don't get to sell power to the grid. They invest $5 million or so between lobbyists and campaign contributions and they get back $1 billion in return. Screwed; us not them. Money well spent; them not us. They are getting all powered up for the two new nuclear reactors: At our expense.
Also your insurance rates are going to skyrocket.
So Rick Scott and the legislature are going to let business run wild while we pick up the tab. And forget about if you are injured: They are curbing lawsuit awards too! Privatizing jails, f--king teachers, the police union, and State workers, soon your job will be caught in the cross-hairs. They talk about lower taxes as they raise our electric and insurance bills, what good is that? Oh, it helps business.
We are getting screwed so many different ways, I don't know where to turn.
15 comments:
Your Cartoon says it all.
Rick Scott, not governor because he does not deserve that title, is setting himself and his wife up to become the next mega millionaires if not billionaires in Florida. He is passing legislation that will push Medicaid recipients into private HMO's serviced by his wife's chain of Solantic clinics and legislation that limits lawsuits against MD's, hospital and clinics like his wife's. He and his wife are also going to be direct beneficiaries of the new drug testing policy for state employees as Solantic is a big provider of such. He is only just getting started.
Here's what government will and won't do:
1. Government will leave no child behind
2. Government will protect your land rights but not your water (and they won't let you protect it either).
Furthermore, this will create future markets for water processing plants, which will be provided by friends of Government.
3. Government will not protect you in the event of a nuclear power disaster. (They will only pretend to protect you up until such time as there is a disaster, then they will pretend to learn from the experience as they pretend to reform the industry.)
5. Government will not let a silly thing like redistricting prevent the important work that they have to do in creating jobs.
6. Government will stay out of most things, except they reserve the right to accompany you to your OB/GYN appointment and a few other things. Don't worry, it's a short list.
7. Government will provide for privatization of roads, water treatment facilities, schools, city hospitals, etc. This works better for local and state budgets and it sure makes campaigning a bit easier.
and Rick Scott will lead our state legislators in all these endeavors.
Imagine the audacity that a Private Company should be allowed to charge what they want.
" Scott's campaign describes Yarian as a ``disgruntled'' former employee who was fired for violating company policy by taking home freebies left at the clinic by a pharmaceutical representative. The campaign also pointed out that Yarian had been arrested for drunken driving and had been cited for driving with an open container.
Yarian, though, said he had received a raise from Solantic after the pharmaceutical incident, and was fired only when he repeatedly questioned Scott's hiring practices. He said Scott had insisted the doctor only hire ``fit, trim and mainstream-looking'' employees. Yarian said he felt ``mainstream'' was a code word for ``Caucasian'' and that Scott once balked at hiring a Hispanic candidate because he had a thick Spanish accent."
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/05/1761961/few-details-emerge-from-suits.html#ixzz1I6YaPOz5
Absolutely, Anthony, and when government contracts are involved in those transactions - all the better! Let's get Florida back to work with national and state funds being shoveled through the back door. That way we can pretend to care about where our tax dollars are going. Who the f(*k are you anyway, Anthony?
Looks like the screw is in the wrong place in this cartoon.
Except, AnthonyVOP, FPL is not a private company! it is publicly traded and has shareholders. They should be footing the bill, not the ratepayers who haveno choice but to use FPL because there is no competition! And this bill will further that unfair monopoly - so much for the free market that conservatives love so much!
And the insurance market in this state is a huge scam, too. The insurance companies only want to write policies that they can gouge people in premiums and then deny claims on. They all figured out that they could create a subsidiary in this state that shares profits with the parent company but not the risks (remember Allstate Floridian)? More and more I am becoming convinced that the only way there will be a sustainable windstorm insurance market in this state is if the Federal government creates one like the Federal flood insurance program and spreads the risk to all 50 states.
Yes,
Government is the answer to everything.
Government does such a great job..Much better than the free market.
Just look at all the great success stories like those that are created by the Depts of Education, Energy and Commerce.
Even locally we can see how great Government is. Just look at how efficient our transportation system is. That South Dade Busway was shear genius. Metro-Rail, Courteous bus drivers....WOW
How about all those millions of the years spent on low income housing? Yea..Nothing like killing property values, increasing crime and paying people not to work to keep that economic engine purring.
No, Government is not the answer to everything, and there are definitely examples where, it appears proper oversight and financial controls have been lacking. However, you Neo-Cons continually fail to realize the fact that there are basic needs of the society that can not be handled through free market capitalism. Education, energy, food supplies, health care, transportation (including highways, bridges, etc.) cannot and should not be set to the pricing model of "the market sets the price". In an enlightened society, all of these things need to be available to the entire populace without regard to profit margins. If this sounds socialistic, so be it, but it is unconscionable that in today's society anyone is unable to have access to the best available health care, education, clean water, safe food supplies, etc. because they cannot afford it or they have to choose between paying the electric bill or paying the water bill. And make no mistake, that is happening all over this country including right here in Miami-Dade County and it was happening well bfore the Depression (which by the way was caused by Bush's economic policies, not Obama's).
FPL does not have any competition. For all practical purposes, they're a monopoly, which in private business isn't allowed.
I object to their rate increases and any/all federal tax funds they're receiving or going to be receiving.
If Anthony's premise is to hold any water (pardon the indirect pun) in regard to the government interfering, then why are you supporting FPL taking Government subsidies? You cannot have it both ways.
I also believe the government should get out of private business, I did not support the bail out of GM's Union Pensions or AIG's bailout, enriching foreign policy holders.
FPL is one of the most egregious of them all, both to it's rate payers and the environment.
When they have someone like dingbat Bell touting Nuke's are safe, one has to ask, are you kidding me? I mean, really, FPL couldn't get someone in a higher brain trust on the Commission?
Anonymous, You make some assumptions about my beliefs without any evidence to back it up.
I am against subsidies to FPL. In fact I am against ALL SUBSIDIES to all private entities.
I don't fear Nuke plants but I am against them if the only way they can operate at a profit is with subsidies.
I am also against the Government mandated monopoly given to FPL. Allow other power companies large and small to produce and compete. You could even sell the surplus power you produce form the solar panels and wind generators I am sure you have.
Transmission lines can be opened up to bids for maintenance and creation to keep it from turning into a bird's nest of power-lines in our back yard.
OK, now you are talking with some intelligence, AnythonyVOP. Thanks for stopping with the stupid as shit one liners.
Energy - decentralization of energy production is good from a national security standpoint. Good energy is safe energy. Competition is good. I agree with some of your statements.
Government has some important jobs to do. Nuclear Energy is effective but dangerous. Small things can cause a huge negative cascading of affects that lead to physical and economic tragedy. We are seeing that in Japan. FPL was on a list of the 10 most unsafe companies in the past and at one time several thousand gallons of contaminated water spilled out at the site. They covered that with 6' of earth to protect the plant employees. US needs a wake up call with nuclear energy. In the end, it may be a very costly source of energy for many reasons (reference the bloggers excellent articles over the past several years).
The NRC may in fact be no more effective that the MMS (remember them?). This is partly because of defunding and partly because of deregulation. We have also corrupted our processes with campaign funding and a regulation process that is a true joke. These agencies have become rogue agencies by the hand of the left and the right. I am not vilifying any one party here.
This does not mean we should not regulate. We need to regulate. Go into the halls of MIT and Berkley and ask those professors what they think. SHIT, this is something that you need to respect, manage and regulate. All one has to do is look at Japan and imagine what might happen here if a similar thing happened. There wouldn't be one Republican Senator or Congressman to refute that statement in the face of a catastrophe. Please!
Personally, I will only continue to ready your comments in the future if you start putting some substance into your statements (like what you said today). I may or may not agree with you, but I will be interested in your perspective.
Scott's Wikipedia entry!:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_Burns
Post a Comment