According to the story, state regulators said it is "by design" that they made sure large businesses received smaller increases in increased energy rates than homeowners. Two members of the three-person Public Service Commission (PSC) are Walker appointees.
JS Online Excerpt:
In rate cases finalized last month involving utilities in Milwaukee, Madison and Eau Claire, large manufacturers received smaller percentage increases than homeowners and other businesses. For example, We Energies was granted an overall electricity rate increase of 4.2% for 2013, but large companies got only a 3% boost while homeowners and small businesses got rate increases of at least 5%.
By the end of this year, those companies benefitting from all state imposed rate caps and political discounts will have their profits padded by at least $68 million.
The bottom line is, Scott Walker is picking winners and losers by using government power to intervene and discriminate free market prices between different customers. Small businesses and homeowners are being punished by paying more, not because we're getting more but so big business, many of them heavily vested paying capital dividends to investors - can pay less for the same goods and services. This in turn also gives big business added cost advantages against their smaller competitors. So, if you find yourself with a little less money in your pockets to pay the bills - no worry, Walker has made sure whatever we lost has gone to a good home.
2 comments:
It looks like Walker is padding his own pockets, too at the expence of the middle class. We had better see that he is looking for a different job in 2014.
Has anyone investigated whether Walker has the authority to maneuver the laws in regard to energy costs so that ordinary customers will be paying the difference not being paid by big businesses ? I hope someone in the know is looking into this.
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