Paragraphs by Paul Miller
Here they come again—pesky paradoxes in Marin's public problems. One is the anti-democracy ballot proposal by PG&E. The other is the verbal encouragement to its customers to conserve energy.
"Over the past 32 years, PG&E has implemented some of the most comprehensive and aggressive energy efficiency programs in the nation, working to help customers achieve cost-effective energy savings. Our results demonstrate that energy efficiency offers the fastest and lowest-cost way to meet growing energy demand while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions." This is what the corporation tells its readers in its 2008 Environmental Report. A similar message can be heard out of the mouths of its spokespersons in the media. It is highly altruistic and reassuring to those customers who care about reducing carbon foot prints. But wait! This is a message from a corporation whose CHIEF purpose for existing is to benefit its shareholders. The shareholders make more money when PG&E sells MORE energy at the highest price it legally can (or illegally during Cheney's Administration).
Logic stands on its head here: either PG&E is doing its most for its shareholders, or it is lying to them. If PG&E truly wants customers to buy less of the utility's product by conserving the product, the corporation is short changing its shareholders. PG&E operates as a schizophrenic corporation, I suppose, because it is a monopoly. Monopolies do what they want; that's why they are such a sweet deal.
Here is a second paradox: When it helps PG&E, the corporation opposes a democracy of simple majority rule; when it helps PG&E, the corporation cherishes a democracy of simple majority rule.
The company says it is introducing a state ballot measure to protect its customers' money from being wasted by state officials. These people the company refers to are democratically elected county and city leaders who have the choice to buy clean energy from companies other than PG&E. The measure would create a law that requires a two thirds majority vote by residents before county and city officials could choose to buy clean energy from a company other than PG&E. A government under a democracy is supposed to be run by a simple majority rule (51 percent). However, PG&E does not believe in that kind of democracy anymore than too many of the state's legislative leaders seem to. The do not believe in it unless a simple majority rule will pass PG&E's ballot measure. That is when PG&E believes in a simple majority rule.
Why is the utility spending shareholders' money to create this anti-democratic super-majority law? It's doing so, not for the protection of its customers as it claims, but for the protection of its shareholders. The utility wants to stop citizens from buying energy from some other store besides its own, so to speak. PG&E wants no competition. It does not want community choices to be made about buying clean energy. And if Mill Valley voters, for example, were to want that choice, under PG&E’s proposed law, the SIMPLE MAJORITY (51 percent) of Mill Valley voters could NOT have that choice.
In David Baker's San Francisco Chronicle story about the ballot initiative, Marin County Supervisor Charles McGlashan, who also serves as chairman of the board for the Marin Energy Authority, offers these blunt words about this super-majority rule: "It's just a cynical attempt to gum up the works for everyone who competes with these monopolies."
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Long time Marinite Paul Miller
was editorial cartoonist for the Marin IJ, sports cartoonist for the
Novato Advance, a cover cartoonist for the Pacific Sun, and is
currently a cartoonist illustrator for The Ark. He's had cartoons
published in the San Francisco Chronicle and his surf paintings have
been published on the Surfriders Foundation website. He joins MoreMarin
as a contributing editorial cartoonist.
Miller, a former Marine
and UCLA graduate, taught a cartooning course in the art department at
the College of Marin. His paintings and drawings are in private
collections in California, Arizona, Washington, Hawaii, Texas, Florida
and Provence, France. Miller's book, A Cartoonist's Guide to Prostate Cancer, was described by Dr. Dean Edell as "a must for any man facing prostate cancer!"
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