Joe Andress writes


YEPPER,
I made mistakes with the dates and will admitt it and am currently looking for a knife to fall on.

However, I believe California was suffering extensive power issues prior to Bush taking office. Granted, I do agree that the major crisis took place in 2001. But I still think that the major events leading up to the crisis occured prior to 2001. And as u so eloquently pointed out,who was president prior to 2001. Does that mean that Slick Willie was responsible or duba, as some like to call him, was responsible?

< No, summer 2000 had no blackouts, brownouts, spikes in electrical prices, bankruptcy filings by the largest electric utility PG&E, inordinate down time for "maintenance", etc.  Yet one year later with actually a reduced to static usage it goes to hell in a hand basket. >

I also wonder if it was the deregulation of electric power or the fact that california as a whole failed to plan for the growth of the state and its future power needs. Did the tree huggers ( and we need them ) hug to many trees. Did the nimby (not in my back yard) ideas finally catch up?

Sure blame it the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Everyone knows the feds are the biggest user of viagra. One question, does california have a publie service commision or regulatory agency. Where were they in this scheme? 

< California has the PUC, the public utilities commission.  However they don't build electric plants, they just regulate the price.  The deregulation scheme as passed by the legislature and signed by the government was the guiding force.>

Could california grow the crops without the water from the other states, so it sounds like a one sided trade to me. 

< No, California imports little to none of its water from out of state.  Most comes from snowfall and melt in the northern and eastern part of the state.  This feeds the Sacramento delta and the California Aqueduct.  Most of the rest of the state's water comes from the Owens Valley and Colorado river. > 

BTW, I live in Alabama and am proud of it. We also grow crops and feed others. But we didnt blame the president for when the rain didn't come.

< Well I wouldn't blame the president either for a natural event like rain occurring or not occurring.  However, I don't think that the manipulation of market with phony maintenance, export and then import of power, natural gas fake pricing are a natural event and are subject to FERC regulation and federal overview.  In regards to Alabama crops, the largest crop by far in acres planted in 2001 was cotton with 6.1 million acres, peanuts at 2 million, corn 1.8 million and soybeans at 1.4 million).  I'm trying to lose some weight and my doctor told me to cut the cotton diet to a minimum.> 

Mike Berkowitz
Guess? Inc.

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