Enron Tapes Should Be Nail in Coffin of Schwarzenegger

[Robbien]

SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 4 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Consumer advocates called on California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez to give up deregulation components of their energy proposals in light of the devastating revelations found in recently uncovered taped conversations among Enron employees.

The tapes, which are available at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/01/eveningnews/main620626. shtml, provide a curse-laden play-by-play of how energy companies stole millions from California and manipulated the deregulated energy market in the name of profit.

"The voices of Enron employees celebrating and mocking California's last energy crisis should be the final evidence you need to stop any effort to deregulate any portion of California's electricity system," wrote Douglas Heller, executive director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR), in a letter to Schwarzenegger and Nunez today. "As the Enron employees ... illustrate, in an unregulated environment there is an overriding incentive to create shortages that push electricity prices up. Whether it is callously cheering on natural disasters like the fires or intentionally taking plants off line ... deregulation will lead to energy shortfalls and skyrocketing prices." The letter is available at: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/utilities/fs/fs004330.php3

FTCR has opposed legislation by Nunez (AB 2006) and a proposal by Schwarzenegger that would each allow big businesses to buy power directly from unregulated power companies. According to FTCR, these proposals, known as "direct access," would balkanize the state's electricity by initially allowing big energy users to buy cheaper unregulated power, while residential and small business consumers pay higher rates for electricity. Once the deregulation scheme was in effect, the energy companies would return to the gouging schemes exposed in the tapes and by various other documents collected during investigations into energy companies' practices during the California energy crisis.

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=139-06042004

[stopthegop]

1. not sure how this 'puts a nail in Arnie's coffin'..

...if things pick up economically, he will benefit...and look better than Davis...

[Robbien]

2. Arnold wants to deregulate energy

This should put an end to that plan. It will not stop Arnold's political career but it should stop his energy grab.

[phantom power]

5. assuming anyone pays attention

I notice that this news isn't exactly rocking anyone's world, although in a sane universe, it would be quite a scandal.

[Robbien]

6. It makes me furious that everyone is talking about Tenet

who makes not one whit of difference in our everyday lives, and this story of Enron laughing at us stumbling around in a blackout is now old news in the dustheap.

Those tapes are as big a stain on America as the Iraqi prison torture story.

[Kool Kitty]

20. Agreed.

While the pressnumbskulls are drooling over the Tenet story, look at all the stories that are not getting the proper attention-these hideous Enron tapes, Bush talking to a lawyer over the Plame outing (bad choice of words, I guess-"the Plame outing" sounds like Valerie went on a picnic or was revealed to be a lesbian), the floods and deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the frightening weather in the Midwest and South, etc. And what's going on with the Iraqi prison torture story? Where is Rummy, did he stop giving press briefings? What about the e-mail that links Cheney with the granting of contracts to do work in Iraq? Tenet has become this month's Michael Jackson or Scott Peterson.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

21. I just miked up Arianna Huffington and told her to cite this. SHE DIDN'T!

I did audio for a California Faculty Assoc. press event decrying budget cuts in education near Oakland at CalState Hayward.

Speakers were the state treasurer, Arianna Huffington, a couple of Hollywood types all saying educ. cuts were a bad thing.

When I clipped on Arianna's mike in the green room, I asked her to mention that Ahnuld was in cahoots with Ken Lay who had savaged the California budget in the first place.

She said she would but didn't. After the event, I asked an organizer why everyone was so soft on Ahnuld. He said "they're all afraid of him."

I came home and found that CBS was carrying the trader tapes the same day.

AARGH! COWARDS! AHNULD WOULDN'T BE POPULAR IF PEOPLE SPOKE UP!
I have no idea why Arianna didn't chew him up. Selling her book, perhaps?

[0007]

24. your right, and ken lay walks around as a free man with a smile

on his face.

[Just Me]

3. Depends upon how Arnie reacts/acts,...

,...Republican backed Enron corruption can ONLY make Davis look like the man in the "white hat",...since it was a Republican backed recall.

[jeff5]

8. Why Aren't Californians

calling for an explanation of why Arnie was meeting with Ken Lay just before the gaming started??

[catzies]

13. Welcome to DU, jeff5

:hi:

We were, but no one was paying much attention then, or now, when the story is three years old already.

We were saying this during the recall too. And of course the only reason Arnie's there in the first place is to make sure to dismiss those lawsuits California has against Enron. Over 9 billion dollars worth all told. :mad:

We've known all along that Arnie had a secret meeting with Ken Lay in May 2001. It should have come out during the campaign and made a difference but it didn't. Thank you, "liberal media." :eyes:

[leesa]

15. Because they are busy playing and working...mostly playing

It's very big here.

[AP]

4. Part of the imperative to get Arnie elected was to mitigate the damage...

...from these tapes.

He'll still try to deregulate.

[napi21]

7. Get the actual bleeped tapes on your radio in Ca.

You know how much interest "slutty" talk always gets! See if you can get lots of the popular talk shows to play tape excerpts during the morning and evening ride times. Believe me, with the trash talk, and the subject of screwing Californians, it will gain all the attention you could ever want!

[FreakinDJ]

9. Didn't Arnold settle out of court with the Energy Companies

for Pennys on the dollar

$249,000 against a 1.5 billion dollar judgment that the Energy company was appealing

[librechik]

10. yes indeed--and he should be outed as compromised becuz

didn't he meet with Lay and a few other people back in 2000 or something? It seemed very odd to have a (non-politician at the time) movie star at a meeting with energy types? Remember that?

Throw the bum out, California. Arnie is cute, but he's still part of the coup.

[rocktivity]

12. I agree, Librechik

California has rightful grounds for a recall now. He did not act in his voter's best interests.

:headbang:
rocknation

[FreakinDJ]

19. Yes Arnold did meet with Ken Lay before he was elected

We all knew then the investigation and suits started by Davis would be squashed as part of Arnolds deal.

Heck Arnold is just Pete Wilson's butter holder any way

[keithyboy]

11. California elected him, they deserve him.

Most of knew because it was reported here that the reason so much Republican money was behind Arnie was primarily for the deregulation reason. Not only that, didn't he for give the energy companies a huge amount of money by not forcing them to pay some fine or by dropping some legal suit against them?

[leesa]

16. Hang on now. There was a lot of election fraud and media manipulation

(i.e. lying) going on. It's like saying we elected Bush, therefore we deserve him. Arnie was imposed upon us by the corporate machine.

[makhno]

22. Dunno

If the people weren't supportive of Arnie, they should've voted down the recall in the first place. Sometimes, I think this country deserves Bush, just as Californians deserve Schwarzenegger - if you're not prepared to fulfill your duties as a citizen by informing yourself and then acting upon this information, you really don't deserve any of the benefits afforded by a democratic society. Act like a slave, live like one.

Election fraud wouldn't have invalidated a solid 60-40 majority against the recall or a solid 60-40 Gore win.

[cliss]

14. Color me suspicious,

but I'm starting to wonder about the fires themselves. What's to say Enron didn't start them? It worked out to their advantage. They made millions, probably billions as California burned.

I remember reading something here at the DU about this. Last year, someone posted that they actually saw 2 marines setting fire to some brush outside Riverside California. The thread floated away.

I wonder if there's any truth to this?

[leesa]

17. It also helped push the logging initiative Bush wanted.

[goforit]

18. So Arnold supports the policies of Kenny Lay, eh???

Scam scam scam!!!!!!!!!

And what a sham!!!

Take it to the people Arnold.
(chikenshit)

[Judi Lynn]

23. California complaints about Enron have already played in Southern Nevada

Saturday, June 05, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

California complaints about Enron have already played in Southern Nevada

By JOHN G. EDWARDS
REVIEW-JOURNAL


The disclosure of profanity-laced Enron Corp. trader tape-recordings caused a political shock wave in the West this week, much like reaction in Southern Nevada when recordings of a local power traders conversations were made public.

Traders discussed manipulating California's power market during telephone conversations in which they merrily gloated about ripping off "those poor grandmothers" during the state's energy crunch in 2000-01, according to transcripts of the calls made public Tuesday.

The calls were obtained from the government and transcribed by a public utility district near Seattle that wants Enron to forfeit millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains during the energy trading scandal.

"It shows unbridled drive for profit," San Diego attorney Michael Aguirre said earlier this week. He first sued Enron for unfair business practices on behalf of California consumers in November 2000.
(snip/...)

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Jun-05-Sat-2004/business/24039361.html

[TankLV]

25. Hi JudiLyn!

nt

[Judi Lynn]

26. Hi there, TankLV!

:hi: :hi: :hi:





Ain't he great?

[jmcgowanjm]

27. Perot sets up system/tells Enron how to end run it

State senators on the committee said that either Perot Systems was deceiving customers by trumpeting inflated credentials or violating a confidence of a client, the Independent System Operator, which runs the state's electricity grid.

"You can't have it both ways," said state Sen. Deborah Bowen, D-Marina del Rey.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/reports/power/20020712-9999_1n12perot.html

http://seetheforest.blogspot.com/

Another question I have to ask... why was it left to a small
public utility district in the state of Washington to expose
this material to the light of day? Where was the State
of California? Where was the Justice Department (who
served the original warrants for these tapes along with the
FBI)?
The Snohomish P.U.D. has $120 million+ at stake in this
battle, a large sum to their ratepayers, but pennies
in comparison to California's exposure -- why didn't the state
ask the same question that Snohomish did - "where are
the tapes"?

http://seetheforest.blogspot.com/