Power To the People . . . . . At Deregulated Pricing of Course . . . . .

The Gadfly is in the throes of his end of year festivities, and therefore blog posting will be light this week.

Nonetheless, here is something to tide you over in the interim:

Texans living in deregulated electricity areas paid about $22 billion more in the last decade than they would have under a regulated system, according a recent analysis by a consumer group.

Texas residential consumers have paid as much as 45 percent more for deregulated electricity than their counterparts in regulated areas of the state since lawmakers devised the new system for much of the state in 1999, according to the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power, which recently published an assessment of Texas energy price data from 2002 through 2012.

The findings raise questions about claims made at the time that deregulation would result in lower prices for Texan consumers. While prices for both deregulated and regulated electricity have fallen since their peak in 2008, average deregulated prices remain about 3 cents high per kilowatt hour than their regulated counterparts for residential consumers.

http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/12/26/deregulation-has-brought-22-billion-more-in-electric-bills-for-texas-residents/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter


Sigh . . . .

The Gadfly has been blogging going on pert near 10 years now dear readers, and one can go back through his shitty little blog archives and find references near that long ago where The Gadfly was questioning the wisdom of deregulating everything under the sun and allowing big business to have it's unfettered way in an unregulated world.

Over the years The Gadfly has observed this deregulation phenomenon expand to include most of the energy utilities and substantial sections of the financial services and banking industry. We all know how the 2008 financial crisis crashed the world economy --- and anyone who says that deregulation did not play a major factor in that disaster either has their sphincter licking head up the ass of the same people who caused it, or just simply hasn't been paying attention.

The Gadfly cautioned readers way in the early days of his shitty blogging hobby against rushing to deregulate the energy sector, for we had already seen what had occurred with deregulation in the airline, telecommunications, media and cable television industries.  The joyous promises from the deregulation crowd of expanded competition and lower prices to the consumer simply never materialized.  In fact, in all of those industries, the mom & pop companies and the financially vulnerable ones were trampled and gobbled up, and the services summarily consolidated, among just a few big money conglomerates.  And of course, the consumers got bent over a barrel and reamed - gee - what a shock huh kids?

But the American consumers bought in to the bullshit and the lies from these industries and now they are paying higher prices for basic necessities like electricity and gas --- oh, and have you checked your cable bill lately? --- and these same deregulation jackals now have their sights set on privatizing the water industry (yeah - you know - that liquid shit we humans need, along with O2, to survive?) as well.

How high does the pile of evidence that deregulation has never benefited consumers and always benefited only the institutional (Wall Street) investors need to grow before people accept the reality of it?  How many of their lies need to be swallowed as bitter pills.  How badly do people need to be financially fucked in the ass before they get it?

This story about Texas is just the latest in a very long line of examples.  And the good folk of the Lone Star state thought that just because they were Texans that their fellow Texas businessmen would deal with them fairly?

Welcome to the club -- Suckers.



----TFG