What's a libertarian to do?

I still take some glee that the Maryland Dem machine is looking into the poor performance of our local quasi gummint electric utility's performance...

First, you should know, Maryland is RUN by Democrats.  When a Republican get’s elected he’s from the rural portions of the state.  The more populated portions are either urban Democrats, or suburban types that work in a ‘company town.’    And the local industry isn’t cars like Detroit, isn’t steel like Pittburg, it’s Gummint.

So the local pols are inspired and secure in their position.  The GOP only wins with blind luck.  And when we DO get a GOP person elected they are not Rand Paul types.  More like Olympia Snow or Bob Dole.  If we’re lucky.

Anyhoo, since that microburst thunderstorm last summer folks have noticed that out local electric utility has been performing under par in restoring service.  And every time since that storm if the wind picks up to over 10 mph, or the sky even LOOKS like it might rain, half the county is plunged into darkness.  And it then take a good long time to get back online.   This snowstorm last week is the latest case in point.

Well, the good local constituents have complained about this to their local pols.  And pols, being pols, are sticking their noses in.    Because they believe there is no problem that can’t be solved by application of an over reaching political process, in their eyes.  And they are thinking of fining Pepco if they don’t improve. 

But the thing is… I kinda want them to do this.  It’s no fun living in an area with less electrical service availability than Baghdad.   And I kinda wish they’d maybe propose an amendment to punish data service delivery the same way.  My cable company, Comcast, has been just as lousy for the past 4 months, after 10 years of worry free hi-speed internet.  They want me to take time off work to greet a technician, when I’ve explained to them the drop occur at primetime 5-9 PM, and that I’m not the only one on the street that notices this.  It’s clearly THEIR stuff not staying up to snuff with the traffic.  And if I have to take time out of MY busy day, sacrificing MY work hours and work time off to let a technician into MY home… He isn’t going to have a Comcast patch on his shirt.  It’ll be the competitor. 

So yeah, it’ll be some schadenfruede if the local pols hammer those incompetent moron chowderheads and slamming them with fines!

Except, they’ll pass those fines onto the customer.  And they’ll use this fine revenue to expand their political base making their already entrenched selves sorta set in reinforced concrete…   Not very libertarian of me, rooting for such heavy handed gummint remedies.

But then again, these organizations, power and cable, have already been granted special favors.  They are almost a monopoly, created by these self same politician decades ago.  They are resistant to my threats of abandoning them for competition in the form of the cable company, and totally immune when it comes to Pepco.  So yeah, the gummint stepping in is sorta appropo.  THEY created this mess, let’s let them have a hand in correcting it.  And spread the blame and rancor their way.  And say "See?  You shouldna been stickn' a fork in the outlet in the first place, Smoky Jim."