Where's my dinner and flowers?

Because of the downturn in the economy, people are cutting expenses such as power and water. Over the years power companies have preached power conservation.

Now is that because the power company is not making as much profit, they had moved their HQ to a brand new building, and they "have new projects" that they have to raise the rates by 15% - 25%.

And if THAT isn't good news, some water districts are raising THERE rates 50%!!!

People are now up in arms in protesting such high price jacks when people are unable to afford their homes!

POST A COMMENTBonusOnus(01/30/2009)
Aren't your power and water companies public utilities? Did they get approval for these rate raises?

It could be that they have to pay for projects or energy. Or it could be that they have to pay for salaries of unionized employees too.



anonymous(01/30/2009)
no,
the rest of us have to pay more to make up for the loss due to foreclosures and people losing their jobs and moving.
local trash pickup just got an increase due in march.

CK(01/31/2009)
Governments are side-lined with their own budget problems. Besides the more these companies pull in the more that can be taxed, and the nore it helps the local government.

Why would you think that government is for the people? Government is out to protect government! That is why we cut education to the bone! Education only instill decent from the flock. Government wants people passisve because they are easier to control.

sympathetic reader(01/31/2009)
In Paris unions and workers took to the streets in protest over the economy. Their president agreed to meet with them. I wonder if that would happen here. Can you imagine all the unemployed filing into the streets and disrupting things? I don't think it could happen in the U.S.

CK(01/31/2009)
General Motors to Invest $1 Billion in Brazil Operations -- Money to Come from U.S. Rescue Program
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=12396&ArticleId=320909

By Russ Dallen
Latin American Herald Tribune staff

SAO PAULO -- General Motors plans to invest $1 billion in Brazil to avoid the kind of problems the U.S. automaker is facing in its home market, said the beleaguered car maker.

According to the president of GM Brazil-Mercosur, Jaime Ardila, the funding will come from the package of financial aid that the manufacturer will receive from the U.S. government and will be used to "complete the renovation of the line of products up to 2012."

"It wouldn't be logical to withdraw the investment from where we're growing, and our goal is to protect investments in emerging markets," he said in a statement published by the business daily Gazeta Mercantil.

Meanwhile, he cut the company's revenue forecast for this year by 14% to $9.5 billion from $11 billion, as the economic crisis began to cause rapid slowdowns in sales.

GM already announced three programs of paid leave, and Ardila added that GM Brazil "is going to wait and see how the market behaves in order to know what decision to take" with regard to possible layoffs.

For Ardila, the injection in Brazil's automobile sector of 8 billion reais ($3.51 billion) recently announced by the federal and state governments of Sao Paulo "has already begun to revive sales," which fell by 12% in October.

The executive said that the company will operate a "conservative" scenario in 2009 with an estimated production of 2.6 million units, and another more "optimistic" that contemplates sales of 2.9 million.

This year sales will reach 2.85 million vehicles, which represents a growth of 15% over last year.

CK(01/31/2009)
India to be spared of Boeing job cuts

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/India_to_be_spared_Boeing_job_cuts/articleshow/4056661.cms

CK(01/31/2009)
When will the bloodshed of American jobs come to an end?!? What gets me is these are the very same companies who ask for and get OUR bailout money and ship it off-shore!

BonusOnus(02/01/2009)
As I said, there is no oversight for the relief funds. The Democrats controlled Congress since 2006. They are just as culpable for this as Bush (and now Obama).

The bailout has become one giant pork project.


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