February 15, 2023 10:40 AM UTC

AFP Says Free Market For Me--But Not The PUC?

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• by: Colorado Pols

We were forwarded this ad from the conservative “astroturf” organizing group Americans for Prosperity Colorado, the longtime local affiliate of the Koch corporate empire’s political chicanery wing, hitting Colorado energy consumers with a head-turning message considering the source–keep in mind these are so-called “free market” advocates, who profess to be loath to government regulation of any kind, and especially friendly to fossil fuels:

That’s right, folks! Americans for Prosperity wants government regulators to artificially cap the price of energy being charged by a commercial energy provider! It’s like the Democratic Socialists of America calling for privatizing Social Security. Let’s be very clear that no one can defend Xcel Energy’s record-breaking profits in the context of the punishing price hikes on natural gas in particular, and we’re not making any attempt to do so.

But the last people who should be calling for government to interfere with “market pricing” is the Koch Industries-founded and funded Americans for Prosperity, whose whole schtick since setting up shop in our state has been the unquestioning defense of “free market economics.” There’s definitely an argument that the Public Utilities Commission has been overly permissive in approving price hikes on energy consumers, but scapegoating the PUC instead of the energy corporation asking for the price hikes misses the point so completely that it could honestly be a diversion on behalf of Xcel Energy.

That, or the free marketeers have decided that only government can save us from corporate greed.

It’s doesn’t pass the smell test, does it?