Socialized Electricity !

Let's go back in time, roughly 80 years.

Why is anything older than 5 minutes ago important, you may ask.

Because it deals with electricity, the St. Lawrence river and the debate today on health care reform.

In the late 1920s, Franklin Roosevelt was New York's governor. The New York legislature was largely Republican.

Governor Roosevelt had a vision to use the fast flowing waters of the St. Lawrence to provide cheap electrical power to the citizens and businesses of New York. It would expand electrical generation and save money.

The Republican legislature, who were the paid lackeys of the existing power companies in the area, would not bring the bill to a vote.

Roosevelt argued that the Canadians had relied on inexpensive public electricity for many years. Americans should have this same public option, and not be monopolized by private electrical companies.

No vote.

Roosevelt proposed that the state develop the power plants, and that the private companies would contract with the state to transmit the power over their existing power lines.

No vote.

Roosevelt went directly to the people of New York in speeches and radio addresses, appealing for them to persuade their representatives to vote on the proposed legislation. Eventually, the bill was passed with major obstruction by the Republicans. However, the project was not completed for nearly 25 years.

See any parallels with what is happening today on health care reform?