eebmore: Between Worlds

Between Worlds

June 08, 2006

Last night I was in my friendly neighborhood pharmacy buying a box fan. While paying for my purchase, for reasons completely out of my control, the crazy white sixty year old clerk with a ponytail perceived my purchase of a box fan as an opportunity to go off on a tirade about the impending 72% energy price increase we’re facing in this state.

“Blah, blah, blah... those fat cats in Annapolis don’t care about us poor people... blah, blah, blah... old people going to be dying in August because rich people don’t care about us... blah, blah, blah... companies want to make more money and poor people are gonna die...”

I happen to agree with him, but that isn’t the point. Luckily, I’m not that poor, I don't live on a fixed income, I don’t have children and I’ll be able to weather the price increase. It’s just that I’m far too much of a Yankee to want to engage in a conversation about anything with a store clerk who I don’t know, much less listen to a tirade about a political matter... even if I agree.

So, of course, I smiled like an idiot, nodded like a bobblehead doll and didn’t say a word.

Meanwhile, a black transvestite prostitute standing behind me began sucking her teeth and loudly declaring “suck, suck, suck... Hmmm, Billy never talks to me that much.... suck, suck, suck... I wonder why... suck, suck, suck... he all chatty with this w....”

Now, I may be too much of a Yankee to want to chit chat with a store clerk, but I’m not so much of a Yankee to not know what it means when someone is sucking their teeth at me. Oh, how I would have loved to have been able to turn around tell Devita that she was free to talk to Billy as much as she wanted to, because I wasn’t enjoying it and nothing would have made me happier than to be able get away from both him and her and never have to deal with either one of them again as long live. But that would have been crazy. You never talk back to a Devita. Those bitches have done time and they know how to scrap.

11:08 AM | Permalink

Comments

I'm sick of hearing people whine about the price increase. Prices have been frozen for six fucking years! Do people think that, during those six years, energy costs have remained unchanged?

The Sun says "The average bill for a Baltimore Gas and Electric customer will rise by 72 percent - or $743 a year - after July 1..."

Uh, that's $62 per month, for fuck's sake. Take a pill, people.

Posted by: Neckbone at June 9, 2006 03:39 PM

I am disappointed with your stereotyping, eebmore. I've never "done any time."

Posted by: tfg at June 9, 2006 05:01 PM

The problem, as far as I see it, happened four years ago when energy was deregulated, not now. And yes, an increase is justified. But that isn't going to change the fact that $732 a year and $62 a month is going to be a wallop to stomach for the poor folk... say, for instance, a sixty year old rite aid clerk (I'm guessing it's a little late in his life to pull himself up from his bootstraps and get an entry level position at a management firm). I too roll my eyes listening to members of the middle class crying about the increase. "wah wah, how am I going to heat my mcmansion!" duh, sell your mcmansion and buy a rowhouse, dumbass. I'm not even a member of the middle class, and I'll be just fine, which is why I have not and am not going to whine for myself.

yet, I wasn't aware that the costs of the nuclear energy being produced at calvert cliffs was going to be affected by an increase to the costs of fossel fuels. unless, of course, that energy is being traded on the free market? Whoops. Never mind the fact that BG&E have been running in the black for the past six years. back in the day, energy was semipublic and regulated for good reason. old people are gonna die. the fire department is on alert for a huge increase in the number of home fires this summer. it's the poor that are going to suffer through this, not the middle class. I couldn't care less how easy this is actually going to be for the middle class to manage. they can cancel their digital cable subscription to augment the costs for all I care.

tfg, now you just sound like a fucking Jetta commercial.

Posted by: eebmore at June 9, 2006 11:37 PM

and those jetta commercials don't make any sence to me. I mean, everyone knows that all jetta users are total fags. why would a jetta driver have a girlfriend whose parents would tell him to take a hike? take a hike on fire island, maybe.

Posted by: eebmore at June 10, 2006 12:05 AM

I've never seen the Jetta commercial, so I'll take your word for it.

Whether an individual can afford an additional $62/month or not is absolutely irrelevant in any argument that attempts to justify the assraping Constellation is primed to deliver. Following that logic, it would be acceptable for companies, that enjoy inelastic demand, to use collusion and non-competition to artificially inflate their prices to the point where consumers could barely take it. Oh, wait. Isn't that what happens every time we fill our gas tanks?

I have no doubt that the 72% increase is just a start. Constellation is already priming the pump with radio ads that cite a mythical "energy crisis." When MD electric consumers have to compete with CA and NY consumers, grease up and grab your ankles.

I can't understand why reasonably intelligent conservatives can't see that Conservatism has transformed itself into Profitorgyism.

Posted by: tfg at June 10, 2006 11:12 PM

Comments close after posts fall off the main index page.
Have more to say? Please mail me:
eebmore at yahoo dot com.