Tuesday, November 06, 2012

"Revocation of Franchise" . . .

From the AP: Cuomo says he’s angry at pace of power recovery
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that utility companies have done an unacceptable job of getting service back to customers and that he’s ready to take away their rights to operate in the state. “The progress is unacceptable,” Cuomo said. “To say that I am angry ... would be the understatement of the decade.”
Tough talk certainly plays to the emotions of those frustrated with the pace of Sandy recovery. While it makes no sense to think that the utilities are dragging their feet because power lost is revenue lost to the company, the quality of the state's own response may be the issue. Perhaps Mr. Cuomo thinks that "a good offense is a good defense."

So what would Mr. Cuomo do differently? We don't know.

"I am a reasonable person and I want to give utilities the time to explain their side,” Cuomo said. “But I believe the service was inadequate.” He said he will force utilities into public forums to defend their effort. . . . . Cuomo said Monday that state action could range from “sanctions to revocation of franchise.”
Unless some performance standard applies to hurricane response, there is no basis for sanctioning a company.  And revocation of franchise?  The utilities own all the power lines.  Does Mr. Cuomo have some foreign company ready to come in and buy these at fire sale prices after he revokes their franchise?   Or is this all prelude to something bigger on the horizon that has not been revealed to us?

Popular rhetoric to stir up the masses.  Anger.  Government threats. Excuses for taking radical action.

It's starting to look like New York is the vanguard of the New World Order.

Keep that in mind as you vote today.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cuomo is all talk, and talk and talk. He is already boring and ineffective. He's just another windbag in office. We should also remind ourselves that it was he who, at HUD, presided over the huge expansion of sub prime mortgages.

Anonymous said...

Don't kid yourself for a second. Cuomo knows all to well that union workers will drag this out as long as possible to enjoy the benefits of overtime.

Someone will get rich here and it won't be the property owners.

Cuomo is simply pushing buttons here ...

dave said...

It probably won't be union members who get rich. More likely it will be Home Depot. I sure won't. Not when the insurance companies "adjust" my rates (across America) to help them pay for the bill they contracted (and can afford) to shoulder themselves. Not when the next piece of plywood I buy has doubled in price because of so called demand, which means that if Lowes can get it for me they want me pay extra for the honor of receiving it. You could lose a lifetime investment in your home from a hurricane. It's doubtful those who supposedly insure you or offer building products will suffer any ill effects. Kinda makes one wonder about big business, the 7 trillion dollars they're sitting on in a stalled economy and why I call myself a conservative.

Anonymous said...

An intersting post. But, no business sits on money if it thinks it can make more money by investing it. Today's problem is that uncertainty breeds caustion. Obama with his agenda of Obamacare, new taxes and expanded regulations makes profit highly uncertain.