When you have political ambitions, you can either take a stand on issues and remain true to who you say you are, or you can go with the flow of public opinion and only say things that will be popular and non-controversial. I am at that point right now and what I am about to say will not be popular, and will not be prudent concerning my ambitions for both political office and possible career paths, but saying nothing would be pandering to the lowest common denominator simply to avoid losing face. Saying nothing would be a politically wiser move, but then by saying nothing, I become a part of the problem.
Hoku Corporation is poised to be a major employer in Pocatello, and many privileges, as well as outright gifts in the form of land, access, and revised zoning to accommodate have been afforded to the company to bring them here. They have been given major breaks, and have also already gone through a round of lay-offs because construction and production have been delayed. Now, unable to meet their utility bill with Idaho Power (a private, for profit company; just like Hoku,) they have gone to government through the Idaho Public Utilities Commission to keep the power on through use of a temporary injunction. Here is where it gets tricky and controversial: If government is used to coerce (force) one company to provide a product or service to another company in the name of "public good," where does it stop? This is purely socialism at its finest, and I am disgusted that it has happened here in Idaho.
The power of government has been used, right here, in our back yard, to steal from one company and give to another. If you just do simple math, at the standard rate of 18% for a late bill payment, and the 41 day late bill, the government just allowed Hoku to steal $38,416 from Idaho Power. This is just from the November bill, this doesn’t count what accrued in December, or what has already been used this year. We will all be paying for this through higher utilities, and it is courtesy of your government. If they can steal from one company, one with many many employees, and their own legal department to protect them from things like this, what is to stop them from stealing in the name of public good from a much smaller business that doesn’t have the legal defense ability that a company the size of Idaho Power has. If you are a small business owner, you need to be concerned about this. The government has turned socialist right in front of our eyes, and NOTHING was done to stop them.
See article:
www.journalnet.com/news/local/article_50cefad6-365….html
#corporate-welfare; #Idaho; #Brian-Nugent; #Hoku; #Pocatello
