[lewislynn]

'Tis what happens when you put up a deregulation plan that was not proper deregulation, as well as trusting an idiot savant like Davis with the switches.

You can thank (R) Governor Pete Wilson for opening that can of worms.

Wilson says idea was right

"I will not pretend to you that (the legislation) was a perfect, free-market mechanism. It wasn't. I knew that at the time. I signed it knowing that," said Wilson. "I thought whatever flaws would emerge ... they would be addressed by our successors."

....Read: 'I was desperate for a legacy so I had to pass the buck'.

Electricity so called "deregulation" is not working without price controls anywhere it's tried.

[NormsRevenge]

If Im not mistaken, I don't think the California state legislature was controlled by the Republicans nor was the deregulation legislation written by Republicans... Correct me if I am wrong , Please.

Pete did what any politican would do. He accepted the flaws and relied on folks downstream to correct flaws that popped up.

Instead GraYouT panicked, and now We All Pay! This will come out of the pocket of all americans , not just Californians.

[Southack]

"Electricity so called "deregulation" is not working without price controls anywhere it's tried."

Where has it been tried without price controls?

California had and still has price controls on electricity. Combine price controls with a dearth of new electricity generation construction-permits (California went 20+ years without any new power plants) and it shouldn't surprise people to see the system go nuts.

[BluesDuke]

You have to admit, Pistol Pete sure did have a way with understatement. (He was no prize package, either; between his periodically air-headed leadership and Republican campaign incompetence, that was how savant Davis got himself elected last time. Considering the competition, even Austin Powers could have run on a dry-cleaning ticket and won the race.)

[PsyOp]

"You can thank (R) Governor Pete Wilson for opening that can of worms."

So 20 years of environmental activism shutting down every new plant and reservoir project befor they can get off the ground had nothing to do with it? This state needed to have that can of worms opened. A little electric shock therapy was needed in this case.

Those plants that are "slowly coming on-line" would still be plans on a drafting table if this had not happened. Furthermore, there is the fact that the state officials decided not to buy long term contracts because of the pending deregulation when they were told they should. Then to make matters worse, they refused to let the market sort itself out and made a bad situation worse by trying to impose price caps, followed with finally buying contracts when prices were at their highest.

So, how is all of that Wilson's fault? I'm interested in hearing the explanation. This crisis was 20+ years in the making.