Woh, Kucinich just made a big booboo, I'm pissed

[ShaneGR]

On the daily show Kucinich brought up how he just filed some paperwork to have First Energy (Our power company in NE Ohio)lose their "franchise."

Two reasons why this is not good:

JOBS: First energy employs thousands of people in the area. Jobs are at a premium here. If First Energy goes down that quickly a LOT of people lose their pensions too. I'm POSITIVE their IRA accounts took a big hit this week. And trust me, FE will fold rapidly if their own representatives don't fight on their behalf.

TAX REVENUE: Now is not the time to hurt tax revenue in Ohio. Our books are so far in the red it's ridiculous. On top of the taxes cities like Cleveland and Akron bring in, First Energy is also a major player in most of the community improvement projects in the area.

I know for a fact that three of our other Representives are currently lobbying heavilly for federal money to upgrade our transmission lines in the area: Sherrod Brown (D); Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D); and Tim Ryan (D). It simply doesn't make sense for Kucinich to ignore his own caucus and sell out Ohio jobs while he's campaigning for President. There used to be a day where if you had a problem these things were handled rapidly in Washington. If 50 million people can go without power like that, it needs to be fixed. A check was written and that was that. But who really needs federal money? Lets just bankrupt one of our own companies!

He does make a point about the hole in the nuclear plant up near Cleveland. But that plant was closed so the problem could be fixed. There was no meltdown or any accident at all. First Energy actually has a decent defense case. They saw the problem and shut it down.

As for the blackout, while it does appear that some transmission lines in First Energy's grid were the first to go down due to overload. It has been raining, and therefore not very hot, for most of the summer. Suddenly it got very hot that day and everyone turned their air conditioners on at once. The system overloaded itself. Normally the grid would shut down for a matter of minutes and the remaining grids would quickly disconnect themselves from the system. Unfortunately a number of other grids were already "purchasing" power from our grid. That's what caused the dominoe affect. No one was providing enough power to support themselves.

And no investigation has even been held yet! Why would a congressman condemn a company in HIS DISTRICT WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE WORK before an investigation has been held???????

[ScotTissue]

1. Don't be a sell out

I applaud Kucinich for takling the base greed that is weakening the fabric of this country. Your district can have all the jobs it wants when the lights go out becuase First Energy is putting jobs before power!

[ShaneGR]

3. Eh???

I think the point is problems can be fixed without costing people their jobs. And I mean a lot jobs.

[JanMichael]

2. If they lost their "Franchise" do you think power would cease to flow?

No it wouldn't.

The company would be turned back into a "Power Authority" (Like many airports) and the employees would likely remain in the exact same positions as now.

The pensions are probably held by a third party so those are safe (Frankly public entities are almost ALWAYS better for pensions than trade companies) too.

Don't worry so much!

[diamondsoul]

4. Thank you, JM!

I was trying to think hw to say pretty well the same thing. You said it much shorter, clearer and sweeter than I would have.

[ShaneGR]

5. You don't get it

This is the second time he's taken on a public utility in our area. The last time bankruptcy ruled the day. He's going to get challenged in his district now, by a Democrat.

[JanMichael]

8. But, but, but, it isn't PUBLIC anymore.

Is it?

It was a significantly different situation, from several years ago, try to see what's happening today.

Please. This isn't a "bad" thing.

[ShaneGR]

9. Do you live in Ohio???

[JanMichael]

10. What in the hell does that have to do with my points?

Please, that was uncalled for.

[ShaneGR]

15. No it is not

It's just a simple question? Do you live in Ohio? It has a lot to do with it. I'm from Ohio. So I know a lot about the economic situation in Ohio. I know that even if another company were to somehow take First Energy's place they would also be stuck with the same power grid with the same transmission lines. No one is going to buy First Energy unless the government is going to give them substantial help. I know that a lot of people would be laid off temporarilly, and sometimes permanently if a large scale turnover took place. Because I live here I know that First Energy has been lobbying for help in Washington for well over a year now. I know that a good number of Democrats and Republicans have been lobbying for them too.

[DemBones DemBones]

28. So you think Washington should give First Energy OUR money

(taxpayer money) to correct THEIR screw-ups and allow the same mis-management team to continue running the company? That's not the way to solve a problem. Take away their franchise and allow someone else to buy in, or the government to take over management.

The US really needs to strengthen security at nuke plants or shut them all down, preferably the latter.

And we can't continue supporting businesses that can't make it on their own. The damn GOP talks about personal responsibility but it's time for corporate responsibility. Government bailing out airlines, electric utilities, savings and loans (Remember Neil Bush?), while our troops in Iraq don't have enough water or toilet paper, while they're gutting programs like Head Start, taking money away from education -- except for standardized tests (Today, Neil Bush sells. . .educational software! What a coincidence!) :mad:

[Bozita]

29. So another Bush "Pioneer" runs another corp into a ditch?

"No one is going to buy First Energy unless the government is going to give them substantial help."


Perhaps First Energy execs have greater potential as "fund raisers."

But I'd bet that those "Pioneers" accepted huge bonuses for their handling of First Energy.

Welfare queens are bad and these guys are patriots?

[DisgustipatedinCA]

30. You were clueless r.e. Kucinich before...what's changed?

Yeah, I recall your first several posts here when you trashed Kucinich and LIED about him, making up some BS about him setting the river on fire.

Don't act like you like Kucinich and you're just "disappointed". I remember you.

Don't act like you're not attempting character assasination, because I know better.

I told you back then that I wouldn't forget who you are and what you're trying to do at Democratic Underground, and I meant it.

[dad]

13. -

Those Buckeye football players were really a bunch of morons, weren't they?

[papau]

6. A power company will replace - pay taxes - have jobs: fire 1st Energy!

There must be the ability to change corporations when a corporation's top down personality becomes corrupt - there is to right to a Srate Law provided "life" to a corporation.

[cosmicdot]

12. "There must be the ability to change corporations" - amen to that

Power to the People!

[XanaDUer]

7. If Dks doing it

I trust it.

[eileen from OH]

14. I'm sorry. . .

but isn't putting blind trust in a leader without examining the entire story EXACTLY what we dislike so much about the sheep who follow Bush off the cliff?

The story will emerge in the coming weeks. I'm thinking DK was a more than a little premature.

eileen from OH

[cosmicdot]

21. yes, indeed ... that's where integrity and record help to build trust

... and with trust we build community ... and, with community we can achieve great things ... nothing like real leadership

vs. pseudo-leadership in bunnypants

the sheeple following shrub ... bwhahahaha ... I wouldn't trust * to take out the garbage ...

[juajen]

24. Me too, Liberty Chick

I have a lot of confidence in his integrity, and FE appears to be corrupt. Doesn't mean he couldn't make a mistake, but I believe he knows more about Ohio than anyone else, having been a councilman, mayor, state rep and us rep. Wait until everything shakes down before judging his action is my advice, for what it's worth.

[ScotTissue]

11. The question is:

Who can deliver power and make the economic situation in your district better: a lot of suits who have their hands on the dials and create jobs or THE PEOPLE? If you can't answer that question, you are not a Democrat.

[sandnsea]

16. The nuclear hole

I read news articles on that a few months ago and it seems they didn't just say 'oh yes, we need to close this'. Seems to me it took alot of work by alot of people over a long period of time to get that closed.

This company seems like just the kind of irresponsible corporation that needs to be held accountable. He should wait for an investigation because he shouldn't jump the gun without the facts. That's just not wise. At the same time, I don't know how to get our country back from these crooks without suffering a little from time to time.

No I don't live in Ohio, no it's not me who would be suffering. I already got to do that a couple of years ago, except I got my power rates raised and Ken Lay only had to sell a house. Nothing else has changed. I would rather suffer a bit for a change than get stuck with the costs of corporate corruptness over and over and over.

[DemBones DemBones]

25. First Energy seems to be a prime example of utilities that, now

that they're deregulated. are just gobbling up profits without reinvesting in their infrastructure. The problem at the Davis-Besse nuclear plant was extremely serious and it took a lot of work to get the plant shut down. Other problems led to the blackout.

And now they want the taxpayers to build them new infrastructure???

I don't think so!

[lfairban]

27. I'm from Ohio . . .

You are talking about the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant:
http://www.ohiocitizen.org/campaigns/electric/nucfront.html

There is currently some very interesting information on the OCA front page:
http://www.ohiocitizen.org/

Including a very detailed description on how it all started:
http://www.ohiocitizen.org/campaigns/electric/2003/eastlake.htm

[xJlM]

17. The hole in that plant was football sized

I would think it wouldn't be that hard to find a football sized rust hole. But when you don't give a fuck, I guess life gets a little easier.

Wow, do you really think they're going to shut down the power company and make everyone do without? Or do you think they'll just let the slippery Japanese bring in one of their low-cost, low safety standard power plants and throw all those folks out of work?"

[Az]

18. Computer security

This isn't the only problems they have at this plant. Even in the computer security field we are hearing about this place. Last January their computers crashed dued to the Slammer worm. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/6767
Excerpt:
The Slammer worm penetrated a private computer network at Ohio's Davis-Besse nuclear power plant in January and disabled a safety monitoring system for nearly five hours, despite a belief by plant personnel that the network was protected by a firewall, SecurityFocus has learned.

[GreenArrow]

19. Public Utilities

owned by the public, serving the public trust. Now, there's an idea.

[mmm]

20. Kucinich Rocks!

The man is good.

[RichM]

22. The "Jobs and tax revenues" line is the standard corporate defense.

Unless it's weighed against what the company did wrong (in terms of corruption, mismanagement, or safety violations, etc) the argument is completely meaningless. If the argument was valid standing alone as you present it -- just complaining about jobs & tax revenues -- it could be used to defend EVERY corporation in EVERY situation, & there'd be no way any pressure could ever be brought on any company.

Besides, you are well known to have a lot of nasty things to say about DK, & you are also well known not to tell the truth. Nothing could be less surprising than you digging up some filthy angle on which to smear DK.

[RichM]

23. Here, for example, is what tonight's NYT says about FirstEnergy -

"...FirstEnergy, based in Akron, is no Enron... But the company is in many ways emblematic of how traditional utilities have tried to adapt to the freewheeling ways of deregulation.

It has become aggressive about expansion, but a number of its senior managers stepped down or were reassigned while the company was under fire. It, like similar energy companies, has invested ever larger amounts on lobbying and political campaigns, pouring money into local and national politics and earning victories on rates and energy policy.

And, documents indicate, FirstEnergy has made what many experts and elected officials regard as less than impressive efforts at spending on the things that they say the nation's electricity grid needs most: upgrading its transmission system. In the three years since deregulation legislation passed in Ohio, its spending on maintaining its high-voltage transmission lines in Ohio has remained all but flat..."

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/22/national/22ENER.html?hp

[DemBones DemBones]

26. Right on both counts: 1) First Energy has been poorly managed

and the break in transmission, without proper safety shut-downs to keep it from throwing the entire grid off, caused the blackout and proved it. It had already been strongly indicated by the problems at Davis-Besse nuclear plant, which had both a large rust hole in the shell over the reactor core and problems with their computer security and therefore their safety system.

and

2) The poster who began this thread has never had anything positive to say about Dennis Kucinich.


I think the CEOs of malfunctioning corporations should be fired, particularly when the taxpayers have to put mega-bucks in to correct problems caused by the company's negligence and willful neglect of their infrastructures.

Bring back strong regulations! Corporations do not, overall, do well at policing themselves. Too many people with corporate power are looking for a quick buck.