Tuesday, January 09, 2007
 
Slippery Slope?
Compare and contrast:
  • Illinois House votes for electricity rate freeze

      In response to sharp increases in Illinois electric rates this month, the Illinois House voted Sunday to freeze rates at their previous levels.
  • Chavez to nationalize companies in move toward 'socialist republic of Venezuela':

      President Hugo Chavez announced plans Monday to nationalize Venezuela's electrical and telecommunications companies, pledging to set up a socialist state in a move with echoes of Fidel Castro's Cuban revolution.

      "We're moving toward a socialist republic of Venezuela, and that requires a deep reform of our national constitution," Chavez said in a televised address after swearing in his Cabinet. "We are in an existential moment of Venezuelan life. We're heading toward socialism, and nothing and no one can prevent it."
Very different, no? One is a national entity that is controlling electrical rates for the benefit of its citizens and the power-mad people who want the control, and the other is a state government. Also, the national entity will ultimately be responsible for production of the electricity or its decline, whereas the state entity will merely be responsible for holding hearings on why companies go bankrupt when pressed for increasing service for no increased revenue.


 
To say Noggle, one first must be able to say the "Nah."