Say what you will about the carpetbaggers who come into El Paso and fleece the citizens and then move away. At least they have the decency to leave.
Not so the Judases who sell out their neighbors and then stay in El Paso, enjoying the money that the carpetbaggers paid them.
The mayor and city council who let an investment fund buy the electric company. The lobbyist who greased the skids for the deal. The the electric company employees who juiced the firm up to make it attractive to investment funds.
They’re all still here, but you won’t see them in the grocery stores or movie theaters or sidewalks of the city. They’re all safely ensconced behind the walls of their gated communities or private compounds, or spending time at their distant vacation properties.
And now El Paso has some of the highest electric rates in Texas.
From KFOX.com:
During that period [from June to September], the first 600 kilowatt-hours cost 13.247 cents per kilowatt-hour, and usage above 600 kilowatt-hours costs 14.247 cents per kilowatt-hour. From November through April, the rate drops to 11.247 cents per kilowatt-hour.
. . .
In San Antonio, rates from June through September are listed at 7.503 cents per kilowatt-hour for the first 600 kilowatt-hours and 9.653 cents per kilowatt-hour above 600.
Amarillo’s rate from June through September is 10.380 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Austin’s summer residential rates range from 4.640 cents to 10.884 cents per kilowatt-hour across four usage tiers, with the highest tier at 10.884 cents.
When you let your electric utility get sold to an investment firm, what do you expect?