Blackouts in Kalifornia

[denfoote]

I have read elswhere (Drudge Report) that the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia will likely order rolling blackouts. I for one, have no sympathy for them. Let me explain. During the 70's, 80's, and 90's when they should have been buliding power plants to meet the expected growth that even the Communists who were in power knew was comming, they listened instead to the Tree Huggers. Kalifornians wanted to save their precious trees, now they can pay the price. Do I sound bitter, you bet!!! Here in Arizona, where we have been using sound principles to plan for our growth, we have an abundance of power. Now I understand that Commisar Gray Davis wants the FIRC to order "power rich" states to "sell" it to Kali. WHAT COMMIE BULL!!!!! I say let 'em sit in the dark!!! The only down side is that the same nanny state has disarmed most of the people there, so when the inevitable looter comes through the door, they will be defenseless. Where's Lex Luthor when you need him most!!!!!
Comments...?????

 

[Dave R]

denfoote, yesterday's Wall Street Journal (that's 1/10/01)had a great editorial on this.

The problem mostly isn't lack of generating capacity. That's just a contributing factor. The biggest component of the problem is just BAD MANAGEMENT. Due to arrogance/lack of planning/etc. they've been buying electricity to meet their shotfalls at the "daily rate" of up to $1,000 per megawatt hour. They could've been buying that power at a weekly or yearly rate at a much lower price. Once utility named in the editorial offered to sell them ALL THEY NEED FOR 5 YEARS AT $60 a megawatt hour. )#$%@& idiots. Don't know what they "sell" power to their users for, but at that big a difference, its irrelevant.

So the problem now is that the utilities have been doing this so much that they're BROKE. No one is willing to sell power to them because they don't think they'll get PAID.

That's the problem.

And Gov. Gray Davis's solution is for the state to build/buy new plants to become self sufficient. What a hoot.

You won't hear this in many other places. Thank Heaven for the Wall Street Journal.

 

[Lavan]

denfoote...before you say, "let em sit in the dark" consider that not all of us Kalifornians support our G.D. officials and useless bureaucrats.
That is as senseless as saying you would not help other states defeat anti gun legislation.
This alienation that you are fomenting is EXACTLY how big brother WANTS you to think.
Get a good "US vs THEM" attitude fostered between states and it makes the loss of liberty even more certain.

Please rethink your statement.

 

[johnr]

Lavan, I doubt any of us want anyone in Kali to suffer grave hardship, loss of life, or major property damage- but that said, these problems are due to self-inflicted foolish policies.
If there isn't some suffering there won't be any change- you need more POWER! Drilling for oil, building plants, like NUKES ( the Horror! Gasp! ), and sensible mangement of resources.
I hear Davis wants to sieze the power companies using Eminent Domain ( a power I've opposed all my life... ), which will really wreck things-- just think how well Kali gubmint has "F"'d up in the past and extrapolate!
Ordnarily, I believe people in neighboring states OUGHT to help their neighbors, but they should not be forced to bail out a self-inflicted crisis of bad government & clownish policies.

 

[Dead]

Maybe this will lead them on the road to enlightenment? That is if there are massive power outages, who knows what kind of riots will take place..... It would be a wake up call.

 

[vmaam]

If I was in California, I would stock up as if Y2K was to actually happen. Candles, MREs, Ammo, etc. Laws or no laws, I would exit the state and bring back what they wouldn't let me have there. I'd just keep it in my safe room and that would make me have peace of mind!

 

[4V50 Gary]

Unfortunately, it may be just what California needs to make Gov. Gray Davis fall from political favor.

 

[Ought Six]

Check out the 'Power deregulation designed to fail?' thread on the Legal & Political Forum.

 

[Steve Smith]

Several of us at work seem to think the the Californians are being "conditioned." The fact that the state is taking over power production fits neatly into that theory.

 

[DC]

Some of us native Cali's will be ready to pick up the pieces....I need to expand my farm acreage, I have a son who will soon learn to shoot *evil grin*...Afterall, it merely is Manifest Destiny

 

[johnr]

DC---

Some of us native Cali's will be ready to pick up the pieces....I need to expand my farm acreage, I have a son who will soon learn to shoot

God bless your little Son-- I learned to shoot at about age 6 from a Father who had to hunt to provide food for his family when he was growing up, and was "the man of the family..."

You are setting him on a path that leads to being a responsible adult, and he will always benefit from, and cherish, the lessons you provide.

Be sure to teach him how to swim, too. It's one more of those things "you don't know how bad you need it 'til you need it."

 

[RobertR]

Kali used up it's pollution credits and cannot keep their plants fired up from what I've heard. Something to do with the environmentalists.

Now states like Colorado are selling power to Kali and we are being called: profiteers. I don't know about the rest of the country, but our costs as consumers have doubled and Excel Energy is asking for another 22-50% increase.

Personally, I see another wave of solar, wind, nuke and hydro power which is'nt a bad idea.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Well, I live near Minneapolis. Last month my utility bill (combined elec/NG) was about $150. Just got my bill yesterday; $425 !!!!!

And we'd turned the thermostats down, and tried to conserve in other ways. Methinks the dsays of cheap energy are OVER in Amerika. And if Kali goes, the U.S. gets to experience a real true-to-life DEPRESSION folks.

Now, think about THAT for awhile, before gloating over their plight...

 

[Chaingun]

It's amusing to see Davis attempt to take over and run the power plants. The current socialist politicians are just that, career politicians. These socialists have never soiled their hands in a business environment, or possibly failed at it. NOW these dumb-@ss' are going to take over the pulse of Kalifornia.

Their mismanagement of the deregulation (raw stock is open market prices and the consumer price is fixed) just shows the socialists will screw it up again.

 

[Lavan]

You got it!

I am a 60 yr old native Californian. It is not the same state I grew up in.
Our government is a gobbling, anti-business, anti-gun, anti-everything bunch of power grabber socialists.
The regulations and fees here are exorbitant. We had nuclear power and now do not. The deregulation was a fiasco.
We have wonderful weather. That draws every failure from every other state and every other country. Then we have to take care of them because they are mostly misfits. The ones who come and can AFFORD the crazy land prices are rich do-gooders who are also socialists by the time they have done what they need to do to amass the money and now they want to apologize for who they are under a cypress facing the ocean.
We here are screwed daily. My perfect running Subaru is going to the crusher next week because it will not pass the smog test.
(One good thing....I bought a Forester and love it)
But I despise scrapping the '86 that runs like the day we bought it in '86.
But these misfit newcomers LIKE bozos like Gray Davis. And Dianne Feinstein. And Barbara Boxer. etc etc etc.

 

[LadyLiberty]

'86 Subaru

My perfect running Subaru is going to the crusher next week because it will not pass the smog test.
I despise scrapping the '86 that runs like the day we bought it in '86.

Lavan, how much would you sell that '86 Subaru for? Is it a 4WD? I can possibly give it a good home where there are no smog checks, in Washington State. (Some counties here have them; most do not. Mine does not.)

I tend to keep vehicles for a LONG time, and keep them in good running order. We have a '69 Chevy truck (mine for the last 15-plus years) and an '84 Honda (his for the last 7 years), and we need a car to either replace the Honda or be a commute car for me, so I can leave the truck on the farm where it belongs.

 

[Jordan]

It's the same thing with the

A direct parallel between CA's mini-energy crisis and the U.S. suffering high prices of fuel (gas, heating oil, diesel, etc).

It's not that there is a shortage of these resources! There is TONS of it waiting to be tapped right here on U.S. soil... but we won't. We would be hostage to foriegn supply and price manipulation before we allowed any new offshore rigs (for example).

Same mentality with CA... "Why dirty up my state with the means for self-reliance when I can just buy it from my less eco-minded, profiteering neighbors."