Reply #13: Too little, too late, perhaps? [View All]

[Laelth]

I found myself in a similar situation to the original poster, yesterday, as I was getting a haircut. My hair stylist was telling me that she had just had the natural gas disconnected from her house. She said she could no longer afford to pay the outrageous gas bill. I asked her if she had "shopped around" for another company that was, perhaps, offering lower natural gas prices in our de-regulated energy market. She said that she had, but that all the rates from all the companies were outrageously high. I couldn't help but mention, "You know, when they told us that de-regulation would make the prices lower for everyone, they lied." She said, "Yes. Just like all the politicians do whenever they open their mouths." This was the point at which I got a little aggressive. I replied, "Well, no. Not really. If I remember correctly, one party was telling us that de-regulation would increase competition and lower rates. The other party, though, was saying that de-regulation was a bad idea--that it would give unelected corporate execs the power to set rates and rip us all off. One party lied. The other was telling the truth."

My stylist changed the subject at this point, and I felt I had said enough and made my point. After all, I didn't want my hair butchered. Still, this was rather aggressive for me. Being a polite, genteel, Southerner, I am reticent to discuss politics openly with business associates or casual acquaintances. Now, I feel more inclined to engage those same people on the differences between our national parties. I wonder if many of us are reacting to this election by being more vocal about our politics. I also wonder if it's too little and too late.

-Laelth