This is cross posted at
The Pacific Daily .
The budget that President Bush put forth yesterday would likely raise electricity rates in the Northwest by 20 percent in each of the next three years. The plan calls for Bonneville Power Administration to begin selling electricity at market rates instead of wholesale. Currently BPA, under federal law, must sell electricity at wholesale rates.
Without Bonneville's wholesale prices to hold down market rates, it's possible that the market would escalate rampantly, causing even more hardship for the region, Harding said.
Bush would like to make his tax cuts permanent but you have to pay down the deficit somehow.
The extra money that Bonneville would make under the plan would go directly to the U.S. Treasury Department to pay down the deficit, which is expected to be around $400 billion this year.
One official said the proposal was worth considering since it would aid in this nations economic recovery.
How about repealing those tax cuts? That would definitely aid in recovering the nation's economy. A proposal, such as this, is no different than raising taxes. It affects everyone to some degree, but will be more of a hardship for those who are already struggling to get by. These are the same people that are not benefiting from the Bush tax cuts. These are the same people that live paycheck to paycheck. These are the same people that can't afford quality health insurance.
The article in the Seattle Times only addresses one instance like this. The issue with Bonneville Power Administration will only affect those of us in the Northwest, but this raises more questions. Namely, is this being proposed elsewhere in the country?
-mtfriend
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The Pacific Daily