[Bloody Sam Roberts]

But commissioners have since rejected calls for rate reductions, saying the extra cash is needed to keep California's two biggest utilities afloat and help pay $7 billion in debts.

And how, exaclty, are consumers to blame for these debts that they should be saddled with repaying them?

[BOBTHENAILER]

And how, exaclty, are consumers to blame for these debts that they should be saddled with repaying them?

California's non-deregulation allows wholesale industrial users to pay market rates for power. Ordinary household consumers were fixed at a low rate (vote pandering). When prices sky-rocketed in the winter of 2000, Utilites were then forced to provide power at prices far below the cost of production, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars.

Had Davis had the political guts to free "ALL" power to market prices, there would have been a little short term pain and it would have gone away quickly.

[Vieja]

"And how, exaclty, are consumers to blame for these debts that they should be saddled with repaying them?"

How 'bout the same way consumers are to blame for paying those massive tobacco judgments with higher cigarette costs.......Those consumers who ran up those debts should have known to "just say no" to using ANY power. Shame on them.... [sarcasm]

[balrog666]

And how, exaclty, are consumers to blame for these debts that they should be saddled with repaying them?

Well, gee, didn't they use all that power that they didn't pay for?

[Vieja]

"And how, exaclty, are consumers to blame for these debts that they should be saddled with repaying them?"

How 'bout the same way consumers are to blame for paying those massive tobacco judgments with higher cigarette costs.......Those consumers who ran up those debts should have known to "just say no" to using ANY power. Shame on them.... [sarcasm]

[Flying Circus]

Consumers benefited from price controls last year rather than paying the real price of electricity. The debts are a direct result of consumers paying below market rates while the companies selling the power were forced to purchase at market rate. Now is the time to pay the piper.

This is the result of politicians in Sacramento meddling rather than letting the market work. If consumers were being billed at market rates last year then they would have reduced electrical use, blackouts would have been less of a problem, prices would not have peaked as high as they did and the debts incurred by the utilities, if any, would be smaller and would be their responsibility.

To me (and I am a consumer of power in CA) it seems only just that we now pay at a higher rate because we incurred that debt. It is leftist hypocrisy to say that we should have the benefits but not the consequences.

[okie01]

"And how, exactly, are consumers to blame for these debts that they should be saddled with repaying them?"

Because, as voters, they elected Gray Davis as governor.

There is a direct "cause and effect" involved here...