Californians in Denial



Dear Editor:



Cal. Gov. Gray Davis' recent statement that if he'd wanted to raise 

electricity rates he could have fixed California's energy mess in 20 minutes 

is sufficient evidence of why government should not be in the business of 

supplying a vital need like energy. Politicians make political decisions 

about economic and engineering problems that become disasters.



Californians persist in the delusion they can have electric power that is 

cheap, clean, and reliable. They can have cheap, or clean, or reliable, but 

not some combination of those things. California news media must bear a 

large part of the blame for enabling this denial. Had they informed public 

opinion better, beginning years ago when this problem was foreseen by 

experts, we might have gotten by with rate increases of only 25%. Now we 

face increases of 50% or 100% and even the likelihood that at this late date 

no rate increases may be enough to prevent major blackouts of large areas, 

lasting days or weeks, enough to not only cause the collapse of the 

California economy, but that of the nation and the world as well.



Californians have the kind of government they deserve, but not the 

government the rest of the world deserves. Raise the rates, now, and hope it 

will be enough. Then elect a government composed of businessmen and 

engineers and not of lawyers and professional politicians.