The Democrat Way

The Connecticut Consumer Counsel, who is the public advocate for energy, natural gas, water and telecommunications, wrote on 2/17 in the Hartford Courant “End the third-party residential electric supply market”. Elin Swanson Katz said, “There are simply too many suppliers, too many marketing tricks and too much money to be made.”

There are six companies offering twenty three (23) different rate programs. Currently, 14 rates per kilowatt hour posted are lower than the “standard” rate. Connecticut has the fifth highest electric rates in the country. Because they have created a problem (poor electrical infrastructure), they tried a band-aid fix, (open up electricity delivery to competition). Now they find that SOME people may be paying more for their electrical service. This Consumer Counsel, who is paid nearly $170,000 a year in compensation, would rather spread the pain of some to the whole. Having created the lowest common denominator through other failed programs and policies, they choose to lower everybody to that standard. Rather than raise the standard and help all people achieve it, Democrats regularly choose to lower the standard and force some to the bottom.

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The Democrat Way

The Connecticut Consumer Counsel who is the public advocate for energy natural gas, water and telecommunications wrote on 2/17 in the Hartford Courant to “End the third-party residential electric supply market”. Elin Swanson Katz said, “There are simply too many suppliers, too many marketing tricks and too much money to be made.” Our esteemed Senator Blumenthal and AARP agree. She says that the “vast majority” of consumers who go with these third party providers end up losing money. No numbers were provided. She did say there are “thousands” of complaints about high pressure sales pitches at the door and over the phone. She claims people who use these vendors lose an estimated $200 million each year.

I just went to the web site the office of the Consumer Counsel refers you to if you want to compare rates. (https://www.energizect.com/compare-energy-suppliers) There are 6 companies offering 23 different rate programs. Currently, 14 rates per kilowatt hour posted are lower than the “standard” rate from Eversource. If people are losing $200 million, you have to wonder why?

What is really happening is that Democrats in Connecticut have fouled up the infrastructure so bad that they have to hide their mistakes. Currently, Connecticut has the fifth highest electric rates in the country. It is true that some people are paying more than they should. A simple shopping experience on the web will yield a lower than standard rate. We regularly shop, as we do with most things like insurance, cell phone service, cable and the internet, and choose the lowest rate at the time. Switching electrical plans is virtually painless.

This is another example of how Democrats see the world. Because they have created a problem (poor electrical infrastructure) they tried a band aid fix, (open up electricity delivery to competition), they now find that SOME people may be paying more for their electrical service. This does not sit well with their view of the world. Therefore the fix is make SOME people pay more so those who don’t stay on top of their bills, or are elderly and get confused easily, and those that can’t speak English, can pay the only rate available even though it is higher. (All these reasons were cited by a person working in the Counsel’s office.)

This Consumer Counsel, who is paid nearly $170,000 a year in compensation, would rather spread the pain of some to the whole. Instead of spending our taxpayer dollars educating the public on how to get the best plan, they choose to punish those who take advantage of the competition that has brought rates down. Having created the lowest common denominator through other failed programs and policies; they choose to lower everybody to that standard. Rather than raise the standard and help all people achieve it, Democrats regularly choose to lower the standard and force some to the bottom.