Are you happy with Entergy or the City Council’s regulation?

By Kenneth Cooper

Hey, do you have a second, not like a literal second, but you know, the general time to answer a few questions? Yes? No? I’ll assume so. Good. Let’s go.

Do you know that you live in a city that has one of the lowest electricity rates in the country, but one of the highest rates of consumption?

Why is that?

If happiness was measured in kilowatts, how many do you think are required for you to live comfortably in your home from month to month?

Do you trust your meter to accurately reflect the amount of energy you consume?

Whose interest do you think your meter has at heart, yours or Entergy’s?

When was the last time you read your electric bill?

Do you know what a Fuel &Purchased Power Cost is?

What about an Electric Charge Base Rate?

If not, would you object to Entergy hiring paid actors to explain it to you?https://blacksourcemedia.com/entergy-and-paid-actors/

Upon opening her bill, one customer was reported as saying, “There’s no way I used that much energy!”

Could we on any level regard that as an objective estimation?

What are your thoughts on the Utilities, Cable, Telecommunications and Technology Committee?

Do you believe that they have been doing an adequate job as regulators of Entergy?

Entergy says it spent an extra $4 million on fuel in December. This cost was applied to your bill by the aforementioned Fuel & Purchased Power Cost. Would you expect the Utilities Committee to ask them for a receipt at the upcoming committee meeting?

Entergy says it informed the committee on December 18^th that they were buying this fuel. What do you think stopped the committee from telling you that your bill would go up as a result?

In 20 words or less what are your general expectations of government?

More specifically, what role do you presently see government playing as a governing force in your life?

Does it match your expectations?

The committee opposed Entergy and the Mayor by voting on a lower profit rate than both were asking for. It also violated its own rules and allowed Entergy to build two power plants. We citizens will be on the hook for over the next 30 years. Do you feel that the committee is doing a good job under challenging circumstances?

What are your thoughts on monopolies?

Do you see them as the end game of capitalism or a defect? And do you recognize Entergy as a necessary or inconvenient monopoly?

Do you sometimes feel like you are in an abusive relationship with Entergy?

Entergy collects about a 10% rate of return on its assets. Do you think that incentivizes them to accumulate more assets?

If so, what effect does that have on your feelings toward the two new power plants the City Council approved them to build in the East?

Are you comfortable having the cost of those plants added to your monthly bill over the next 30 years while also allowing Entergy the rate of return on them?

Given the above, do you think your financial interests would be better served if the city took back control all the power plants? The city could then put out bids to find an electric company that would operate them the cheapest?

Does this sound vaguely familiar to the conversation we had about health care when Congress was fighting over Obamacare, AKA the Affordable Care Act?

What are your general thoughts on electricity, its generation and distribution?

Do you think electricity should be a right, not like a literal member of the Bill of Rights, but a general requirement a city should provide for its citizens, like the police force?

If so, how much more would you be willing to pay in taxes?

Given that different people use different amounts of energy and that fuel prices fluctuate, do you think government sponsored electricity via taxes is an unrealistic expectation?

Random questions, do you still shop at Rouses?

Do you find this question format annoying, slickly informative, a little too cute?

In the general scope of the country or more specifically in the city you live in, do you feel that there’s an under representation of black owned media?

If so, how do you think the monopolized news perspective operates as a narrative force in your life?

Do you know that the Utilities Committee is having a meeting with Entergy on Tuesday to discuss your bill, after the fact?

The City Council’s website will air it at 10:00am.

Do you plan on watching?

They’re taking question online.

Do you plan on submitting one?

Do you sometimes feel that these public meetings are just summaries of discussions that have already taken place in private?

Someone once said, all the world is a stage or something like that.

So, are you satisfied with your performance?

Do you feel that you should be playing a bigger part?

Feel free to leave some, or all, of your answers in the comment box.