Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[Alan Klein]

Have you ever read the Constitution? It's less than about 20-pages long, depending on font size and formatting. Heck, it'll fit in your shirt pocket for easy reference.

Check out the Tenth Amendment.

You avoided answering my questions.  I asked you what you thought was best, not what the constitution said is the law.

[faberryman]

Incompetence in government is just as common as corruption.

Which is why you are trusting your city administrator when he told you on the phone that if it gets cold you won't get a $17,000 electric bill.  On the corruption front, maybe the city administrator is getting a big slice of that $17,000 not to tell you about it.

[digitaldog]

Question:

Have you ever read the Constitution? It's less than about 20-pages long, depending on font size and formatting. Heck, it'll fit in your shirt pocket for easy reference.
Check out the Tenth Amendment.

Non Answer:

You avoided answering my questions.  I asked you what you thought was best, not what the constitution said is the law.

You avoided answering TechTalk's question.

[Alan Klein]

So I had no idea what "posty" is, so I looked it up and it appears to be a variation on hopscotch. Girls, not boys, played hopscotch when and where I was living as a child, so I don't know how to play hopscotch. I think it involves hoping around sometimes on one foot and sometimes on two feet, and maybe thowing a rubber ball and some jacks around. Please do not try to explain potsy or hopscotch to me. I have enough on my plate as it is. Anyway, I don't know exactly how potsy relates to Janet Yellon and Jerome Powell except perhaps that you may mean they are coordinating their efforts, although I sort of thought hopscotch was a competition between two players. Is their something sinister about "playing potsy" having never done so before?

Actually we'd be better of if they were playing potsy or hopscotch rather than running the Treasury and Fed.  Actually, I'd rather have you running the Fed while they play potsy.  You seem more sensible than they do. 

[Alan Klein]

Hmmm... I think I'll just go with the Constitution. It separates the powers between the federal and state governments.

And... I've never claimed what you're claiming that I claim. Sort that sentence out.

OK.  So Texas, an independent and sovereign state, decided they want to run their electricity as they do.  It's none of the Federal government's business nor is it the business of anyone else or state in the USA.  If Texans don't like the deal made by their own politicians, then they can fire them and elect new ones like New York may soon do with Gov. Cuomo.

[Alan Klein]

....or Texans can move to New York where they will pay double what they're paying in Texas.

[faberryman]

Actually we'd be better of if they were playing potsy or hopscotch rather than running the Treasury and Fed.  Actually, I'd rather have you running the Fed while they play potsy.  You seem more sensible than they do.

Since I now have no idea what you are talking about, I'll just assume that you don't approve of Powell and Yellon and whatever it is they are doing together, if anything.

[TechTalk]

The article you linked to explains the plan these people apparently got caught under.   It explains the risk in great detail.  Yet these people signed up.  A fool and his money are soon separated.

Here's is the plan's description for the people who got charges a lot.  It's one of four options homeowners can choose from. Why should anyone reimburse these people?  They saved thousands over the years and now they have to pay up.  Pay now or pay later, probably more later.

What Is a Wholesale Electricity Plan?
A wholesale electricity plan is another type of contract, but it can be very risky. The electricity provider normally charges a fixed monthly fee plus all legally required charges, and the wholesale kWh price is transferred directly. Purchasing electricity with no markup may seem like a good deal, but consider that the wholesale market is very volatile.

Texas has a price limit of $9,000 per megawatt-hour in the wholesale market, and this threshold has been reached during summer. This translates into $9/kWh for the end user, which is around 80 times higher than the average price for homeowners. Texan homes have an average electricity bill of around $130 per month, but a wholesale electricity plan can charge you this amount in just a few summer days. Buyer beware
https://quickelectricity.com/choosing-electricity-plans/

Texans with variable-rate electricity contracts could be paying astronomical prices for power right now

https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texans-variable-rate-electricity-contracts-paying-astronomical-prices-power

"If you’ve been lucky enough to have power these past few days, you need to take a look at your electric contract.

If you’re on a variable-rate plan, you could be looking at an enormous bill at the end of the month."

"When you sign a contract with an electricity provider, you get two options: a fixed-rate plan or a variable-rate plan.

The fixed-rate plan locks you into a set price per kilowatt hour of electricity.

A variable-rate plan charges you based on the current wholesale price of power, where supply and demand determines the rate."

[faberryman]

It's none of the Federal government's business nor is it the business of anyone else or state in the USA.

Which explains why it has been a complete waste of time spending the past couple of days talking about it, except to say, that because of federalism, states might want to take into consideration the disaster in Texas when formulating their energy policies, assuming you think what happened down in Texas was a disaster and not a minor inconvenience. Don't forget that Snowflake got a tutu from Cancun out of the experience, so there was at least one upside. For Snowflake.

[TechTalk]

Well, should they make independent decisions for their states or should Washington tell everyone what to do? 

As far as for what exactly, well, you tell us what the federal government should decide about?  You're the one claiming they know best.

Have you ever read the Constitution? It's less than about 20-pages long, depending on font size and formatting. Heck, it'll fit in your shirt pocket for easy reference.

Check out the Tenth Amendment.

You avoided answering my questions.  I asked you what you thought was best, not what the constitution said is the law.

Tenth Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

That works for me.

[faberryman]

Texas has a price limit of $9,000 per megawatt-hour in the wholesale market...

Always the government sticking its nose in where it doesn't belong.

[Alan Klein]

Tenth Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

That works for me.

Well I'm glad you agree that Texas acting independently when it comes to electricity was a constitutional thing to do.  Long live Federalism. 

[Alan Klein]

Always the government sticking its nose in where it doesn't belong.

That's $9 per KWH, a lot of money.  Why would anyone sign up for this plan knowing they are open to these charges?  On the other hand, if Texas bails out the people who got charged high this time, they will create a huge moral hazard.  Every Texan will sign up for the lowest rates figuring that if it happens again, Texas will bail them out as well.  This is what happens when the government bails out people and companies who wind up in trouble.  They allow stupidity and foolishness to go on.

[faberryman]

Well I'm glad you agree that Texas acting independently when it comes to electricity was a constitutional thing to do.  Long live Federalism. 

I'd probably assert unconstitutionality as my first defense in responding to a complaint for the collection of a $17,000 electric bill. I hear Sidney Powell has some free time to help me out with that. If anyone can find her. Cancun?

[faberryman]

That's $9 per KWH, a lot of money.  Why would anyone sign up for this plan knowing they are open to these charges?

They're judgment proof anyway? You know Texas has a homestead exemption?

On the other hand, if Texas bails out the people who got charged high this time, they will create a huge moral hazard.  Every Texan will sign up for the lowest rates figuring that if it happens again, Texas will bail them out as well.  This is what happens when the government bails out people and companies who wind up in trouble.  They allow stupidity and foolishness to go on.

I haven't mentioned sweeping generalizations in a while.

[Alan Klein]

They're judgment proof anyway? You know Texas has a homestead exemption?

I haven't mentioned sweeping generalizations in a while.

I don't like being wishy-washy. 

[TechTalk]

Well I'm glad you agree that Texas acting independently when it comes to electricity was a constitutional thing to do.

Agree with whom? You were the one questioning whether what they did was constitutional.

I still don't understand how the utility can up the charges so much...

Unless something else is going on, I don't see how that could stand up in court constitutionally.

Of course, not understanding has never prevented anyone from commenting on the things they don't understand.

[faberryman]

I don't like being wishy-washy. 

Speaking of wishy-washy, I was wondering how you felt about the federal bankruptcy code? Talk about the state and federal government interfering with the debtor-creditor relationship. If you disapprove of it, do you prefer debtors' prisons or the galleys?

[faberryman]

The fun continues.

Dominion Voting Systems Files Defamation Lawsuit Against MyPillow, CEO Mike Lindell

https://www.npr.org/2021/02/22/970117188/dominion-voting-systems-files-defamation-lawsuit-against-mypillow-ceo-mike-linde

[Alan Klein]

Speaking of wishy-washy, I was wondering how you felt about the federal bankruptcy code? Talk about the state and federal government interfering with the debtor-creditor relationship. If you disapprove of it, do you prefer debtors' prisons or the galleys?

  I just hope that states aren't allowed to declare Federal bankruptcies since I get a pension from NY.