When power corrupts...
Lead Summary
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
Lord Acton warned us more than a century ago: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
He wasn't talking about electric power in the late 1800s, but his words are as applicable today as they were then.
Taken in the proper context – as in the consolidation of power, Lord Acton's words can explain a lot about politics, government and business as all are too often practiced today.
More often than not, when we tolerate the consolidation of political power, government power or business power, it leads to the temptation of absolute power.
Most recently, we witnessed it on the federal level with the Pelosi-Reid Congress, beginning after the 2006 elections, and made worse by an Obama presidency in 2008.
That consolidation of liberal orthodoxy brought the nation higher unemployment, higher fuel prices and more uncertainty. (And that's just for starters.)
Before taking a liberal leap to your keyboard, hold on a second or two.
In all fairness, we've also witnessed a similar consolidation of power in Ohio. Except this time it's based in Republican political theory. Let's face it: The GOP controls the Ohio governor's office, the Ohio Senate, the Ohio House and the Ohio Supreme Court.
Does absolute power corrupt absolutely?
One need only glance at last fall's GOP gerrymandering debacle that almost placed Highland County in the 15th Congressional District – without a single full neighboring county in the same district – as a prime example of partisan politics with no regard to voters and taxpayers.
Find me one Republican who represents Highland County on the local, state or federal level who wants the county to be in a Columbus congressional district. And, if you can find one (you can't), ask him to speak out publicly why his political party is full of garden manure.
The ongoing utility rate issue is just another example of the unintended consequences of one-party dominance.
For everyone who has called, e-mailed or stopped by my office in search of answers to their suddenly exorbitant electric bills, I tell everyone the same thing. The lawmakers tend to blame the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, who tend to blame the utilities and/or lawmakers.
I also suggest people read from Ohio House Bill 364. (Did I mention that Republicans control the Ohio House, the Ohio Senate, the Ohio governor's office, etc.?)
HB 364:
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio:
• An electric security plan shall include provisions relating to the supply and pricing of electric generation service.
• The plan may provide for or include, without limitation, any of the following: Automatic recovery of any of the following costs of the electric distribution utility, provided the cost is prudently incurred: the cost of fuel used to generate the electricity supplied under the offer; the cost of purchased power supplied under the offer, including the cost of energy and capacity, and including purchased power acquired from an affiliate; the cost of emission allowances; and the cost of federally mandated carbon or energy taxes.
Now, after being told for weeks that Highland County consumers are the only electric utility customers voicing complaints about their huge rate increases, a suburban Columbus school district has joined the fray.
According to a report by Suburban News Publications, "The Upper Arlington school district is among many (power company) customers feeling the shock of a recent rate increase that unexpectedly added almost $100,000 to the district's electricity bill totals for this fiscal year."
After expressing similar unhappiness about electric bills, the Highland County Fair Board and the city of Hillsboro have been informed that their respective utility meters were "misread."
In the words of one of our more or less astute, yet anonymous, online bloggers, "Pray tell, O great lords of the current, just how many meters have you misread? … Here's a suggestion: Give all your meter readers some remedial training and at the same time issue a public statement to all Ohio media explaining why you can't read your own meters."
And buy your Republican accomplices a new microwave or something. It's the least you can do.
Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of one of the few remaining Independent newspapers in Ohio, with no entangling alliances to any political party.
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He wasn't talking about electric power in the late 1800s, but his words are as applicable today as they were then.
Taken in the proper context – as in the consolidation of power, Lord Acton's words can explain a lot about politics, government and business as all are too often practiced today.
More often than not, when we tolerate the consolidation of political power, government power or business power, it leads to the temptation of absolute power.
Most recently, we witnessed it on the federal level with the Pelosi-Reid Congress, beginning after the 2006 elections, and made worse by an Obama presidency in 2008.
That consolidation of liberal orthodoxy brought the nation higher unemployment, higher fuel prices and more uncertainty. (And that's just for starters.)
Before taking a liberal leap to your keyboard, hold on a second or two.
In all fairness, we've also witnessed a similar consolidation of power in Ohio. Except this time it's based in Republican political theory. Let's face it: The GOP controls the Ohio governor's office, the Ohio Senate, the Ohio House and the Ohio Supreme Court.
Does absolute power corrupt absolutely?
One need only glance at last fall's GOP gerrymandering debacle that almost placed Highland County in the 15th Congressional District – without a single full neighboring county in the same district – as a prime example of partisan politics with no regard to voters and taxpayers.
Find me one Republican who represents Highland County on the local, state or federal level who wants the county to be in a Columbus congressional district. And, if you can find one (you can't), ask him to speak out publicly why his political party is full of garden manure.
The ongoing utility rate issue is just another example of the unintended consequences of one-party dominance.
For everyone who has called, e-mailed or stopped by my office in search of answers to their suddenly exorbitant electric bills, I tell everyone the same thing. The lawmakers tend to blame the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, who tend to blame the utilities and/or lawmakers.
I also suggest people read from Ohio House Bill 364. (Did I mention that Republicans control the Ohio House, the Ohio Senate, the Ohio governor's office, etc.?)
HB 364:
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio:
• An electric security plan shall include provisions relating to the supply and pricing of electric generation service.
• The plan may provide for or include, without limitation, any of the following: Automatic recovery of any of the following costs of the electric distribution utility, provided the cost is prudently incurred: the cost of fuel used to generate the electricity supplied under the offer; the cost of purchased power supplied under the offer, including the cost of energy and capacity, and including purchased power acquired from an affiliate; the cost of emission allowances; and the cost of federally mandated carbon or energy taxes.
Now, after being told for weeks that Highland County consumers are the only electric utility customers voicing complaints about their huge rate increases, a suburban Columbus school district has joined the fray.
According to a report by Suburban News Publications, "The Upper Arlington school district is among many (power company) customers feeling the shock of a recent rate increase that unexpectedly added almost $100,000 to the district's electricity bill totals for this fiscal year."
After expressing similar unhappiness about electric bills, the Highland County Fair Board and the city of Hillsboro have been informed that their respective utility meters were "misread."
In the words of one of our more or less astute, yet anonymous, online bloggers, "Pray tell, O great lords of the current, just how many meters have you misread? … Here's a suggestion: Give all your meter readers some remedial training and at the same time issue a public statement to all Ohio media explaining why you can't read your own meters."
And buy your Republican accomplices a new microwave or something. It's the least you can do.
Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of one of the few remaining Independent newspapers in Ohio, with no entangling alliances to any political party.
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