HereComesTheReignAgain Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/19...ayback-boycott/ If Los Angeles wants to boycott Arizona, it had better get used to reading by candlelight. That's the message from a member of Arizona's top government utilities agency, who threw down the gauntlet Tuesday in a letter to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa by threatening to cut off the city's power supply as retribution. Gary Pierce, a commissioner on the five-member Arizona Corporation Commission, wrote the letter in response to the Los Angeles City Council's decision last week to boycott the Grand Canyon State -- in protest of its immigration law -- by suspending official travel there and ending future contracts with state businesses. "I received your message; please receive mine. As a statewide elected member of the Arizona Corporation Commission overseeing Arizona's electric and water utilities, I too am keenly aware of the 'resources and ties' we share with the city of Los Angeles," Pierce wrote. "If an economic boycott is truly what you desire, I will be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements so Los Angeles no longer receives any power from Arizona-based generation." This is great. I for one would love to see LA go dark for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 Serves LA right for trying to "boycott" AZ without actually boycotting the state. Having said that...it'll never happen. The federal government in general would ultimately require AZ to provide the electricity (based on the precedent Enron set: electricity is not a free market commodity, producers and sellers may NOT do with it as they wish), and THIS administration in particular would have no problem trampling over the AZ power generators' rights (such as they may be) on populist grounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HereComesTheReignAgain Posted May 19, 2010 Author Share Posted May 19, 2010 Serves LA right for trying to "boycott" AZ without actually boycotting the state. Having said that...it'll never happen. The federal government in general would ultimately require AZ to provide the electricity (based on the precedent Enron set: electricity is not a free market commodity, producers and sellers may NOT do with it as they wish), and THIS administration in particular would have no problem trampling over the AZ power generators' rights (such as they may be) on populist grounds. I really don't see it happening either, but I applaud Gary Pierce for slapping LA in the face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 That's awesome. Obviously it would never come to pass, but bravo to the guys in AZ for having the balls to give a public 'F--- YOU' to the idiots in LA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 Serves LA right for trying to "boycott" AZ without actually boycotting the state. Having said that...it'll never happen. The federal government in general would ultimately require AZ to provide the electricity (based on the precedent Enron set: electricity is not a free market commodity, producers and sellers may NOT do with it as they wish), and THIS administration in particular would have no problem trampling over the AZ power generators' rights (such as they may be) on populist grounds. Yeah, there's that whole interstate commerce of a service that's fully under the regulatory purview of the federal government. It's like the classic scene from Blazing Saddles where Cleavon holds a gun to his head threatening to shoot. Except in this case everyone is doing it to themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PastaJoe Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 They should ask the workers at Arizona's electric and water utilities if they're willing to lose their jobs because of the loss of a big customer just so they can have a symbolic F-U. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 They should ask the workers at Arizona's electric and water utilities if they're willing to lose their jobs because of the loss of a big customer just so they can have a symbolic F-U. It's not a zero sum game, Joe. There's no shortage of takers for the electricity they produce. Just like there's no shortage of buyers for oil - wherever it comes from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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