There is much bickering and gnashing of teeth in Montgomery this week. There is injustice within the Alabama Legislature, where some lawmakers are proposing that we end the practice of electing our Public Service Commission members.
Pound a table and scream, How dare they!
Or do like normal and yawn.
It has been incredibly surreal to witness the outrage and angst that has been generated by this legislation. A committee room on Tuesday was packed to the brim with people prepared to give impassioned speeches over the bill. Almost all of them were there to fight for the right to vote for our PSC members.
And you know, good for them. I’m happy to see the enthusiasm.
But if I’m being honest here, what difference does it really make?
Now, wait a minute and listen to the whole thing here before you go flying off the handle, because my point isn’t that we shouldn’t be voting for our PSC members. My point is literally what difference does it make in Alabama if we do or not?
Allow me to illustrate: If this legislation were to pass and Alabama lawmakers—the governor, House speaker and Senate pro tem—were allowed to pick the PSC members without limitations, and they set about choosing three of the worst possible candidates … you’d basically have what we’ve had for the past three decades.
You know this is true. You know that Alabama voters have, time and time again, selected downright dreadful, anti-consumer members for the PSC. Literal lumps of coal would have been better.
So, I’m having a very hard time understanding what all of the fuss is about. More pointedly, I’m having a very hard time understanding when so many people decided to start caring about things that affect them.
Because, truly, that’s what this column is about—Alabamians who continue to vote against their own interests.
There has been no better example of this than the PSC board. Which for most of my adult life has been a steady stream of incompetent, lazy, anti-consumer goobers who have failed spectacularly at their job and then been re-elected repeatedly until they either quit or get too old.
It’s the most mind-boggling thing in the world to me. Every month, at least one bill from one PSC-regulated company comes rolling into every house in this state. These companies are operating monopolies and some are guaranteed to get a profit. And yet, the overwhelming majority of Alabamians couldn’t name one of the three people who are responsible for regulating the rates that are charged for services.
How can that level of disengagement exist over something as fundamental and impactful as your energy bills, the safety of your gas lines, the quality of your phone service?
People complain constantly about the evil power companies and their high bills for service. But that’s like having a car driven by a drunk driver come crashing through your front door, and then you blame the car instead of the driver. And then you give him the keys over and over and over again.
This has to stop.
The voters in this state have to become more engaged in the political process. And not just where the PSC is concerned, but everywhere. All of government.
You’re being robbed blind up and down the line. You keep barely paying attention and being suckered in by a few random shiny objects, like gay people existing or trans people maybe playing sports or anyone who isn’t white doing something nefarious, and getting your pocket picked.
Look around you. We have one of the most regressive tax systems in the country. We have one of the worst potentials for upward mobility. We have one of the worst health care systems. We have one of the worst education systems. We have some of the highest utility bills in the country.
You elected every single person responsible for all of that.
And many of you were proud to do it. Have proudly re-elected those people multiple times. And you’ll sit around singing the praises of the party of which those people are members, talk about the success of that party, and then pretend that something beneficial to you—a working person trying to make ends meet every month—has been accomplished.
Even more insane is the fact that you’ll see all of that failure, all of that bad stuff happening to you, and your response is to never elect anyone from a different party because they would be just awful for the state.
The bottom line is this: unless y’all start paying attention and getting involved in your government, it doesn’t really matter how the PSC members are chosen. We could let a golden retriever pick three names at halftime of the Iron Bowl and probably end up right where we always do.
Only you can change that.
