The next big issue

Published August 28, 2014

by Carter Wrenn, Talking About Politics, August 27, 2014.

When the pollster asked voters, Who should pay for the coal ash cleanup, Duke Energy or consumers? the answer came back loud and clear: Voters had no doubt. Almost to a man they said Duke Energy.

 

Now that didn’t mean that was the right – or fair – answer.

 

But it did mean any legislator who disagreed was going to have to give voters a good practical or theological or economic or political reason that changed their minds because, otherwise, the moment he said he wanted consumers to pay for the clean-up (in the form of higher electric bills) he’d be committing the political equivalent of walking in front of a firing squad.

 

The Republicans decided not to give voters a reason to change their minds – and the Democrats didn’t need too.

 

Because the moment Duke Energy called for higher electric bills, whether Roy Cooper and Company saw that as corporate wolves preying on hapless sheep or whether they, more practically, asked themselves, Who do we want to stick with the bill – six million voters or one corporation – they immediately rolled out a law saying Duke should pay every penny. And, a month later, when Duke reported a $600 million quarterly profit it looked like the Democrats were standing on solid ground.

 

The Republicans headed down a different track. They didn’t say they wanted six million voters to pay for the coal ash cleanup but they did kill the Democrats’ law dead in its tracks – then passed a law of their own saying Duke Energy couldn’t ask the Utilities Commission for a rate increase for four months  (until January 15) which created two problems.

 

First, a voter who didn’t want his electric bill raised now didn’t want it raised after January 15 either. Second, the Democrats had given voters an unequivocal no rate increase pledge while the Republicans had said let’s wait until after the election and see.

 

I reckon that makes it all but certain before long we’re going to see ads saying Republicans sided with Duke Energy – and then Republicans are going to need to give voters a darn good reason why it’s necessary or right or fair for them to pay to clean up the coal ash ponds. Beyond that, in November, when voters troop to the polls there may be just one question left: Which do they dislike more? Obama? Or paying $10 billion more in electric bills?

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August 30, 2014 at 9:44 am
Norm Kelly says:

Republicans make a decision, decide to do something a specific way, and people come out of the woodwork to claim that it was politically motivated. Libs make a decision, decide to do something a specific way, and who says anything about it being politically motivated?

You see, the challenge I have with the libs wanting to make law indicating that Duke is the sole payer for the cleanup is the cause of the Duke problem to start with. If it weren't politically motivated, if it weren't an effort to get people to forget who created the coal ash problem to start with, it might deserve some scrutiny and credit for the libs.

But the facts will come out eventually concerning the Duke coal ash ponds and the guilt of the demon party. The FACTS, those things libs pretend do not exist, are that the libs controlled Raleigh for decades. The truth of the matter is that the coal ash ponds have existed FOR DECADES! While the demon party was in power, they not only LET the coal ash ponds exist, they ignored the FACT that they were leaking for years! So, the demon party is now in butt-cover mode hoping that low-information voters won't realize where the fault lies and why the demons are trying to take a stand CONTRARY to the Republican stand.

I'm not saying that Duke should be allowed to pass the cost onto me for the cleanup. I'm only saying that the libs are to blame and THEY KNOW IT! If their allies in the general media continue to do for the demons what they usually do, most voters won't know that the demons are to blame. The allies in the general media have been, and will continue, to cover for the demons. When the N&D endorses every demon candidate for every open office, they won't mention either socialized medicine support nor the Duke coal ash pond problem. They will mention budget cuts to public education on the part of Tillis on a regular basis. They won't mention, when they endorse K, that she doesn't just support socialized medicine but that she says the current unConstitutional law didn't go far enough. She doesn't just agree with the occupier, she believes more in socialism than what he was able to get passed! But just like the coal ash problem for the libs, the socialized medicine problem for the libs will also be ignore by the media allies.

More truth. Less fluff.

August 31, 2014 at 11:20 am
Richard Bunce says:

They hide behind the "greater good" which I observe usually is not... and never the governments business.

August 30, 2014 at 9:45 am
Richard Bunce says:

Ultimately Duke Energy revenue from customers... in the end customers will pay for the cleanup... you don't buy the premise, you don't buy the bit.