In all the hoopla over the California recall election, people are pointing the finger at Gray Davis for the energy crisis of 2001.
This is confusing me, as it was proved over and over last year that the crisis was artificially created by the energy companies themselves; most notably Enron; to drive up the cost of energy using the state’s deregulated market structure.
Yet, Davis is getting the blame.
Not the Federal committee that oversees energy companies; not Dick Cheney and his energy company cronies with whom he met with secretly (and refused to divulge the content of those meetings even after GAO requests), not the Republicans to whom the energy companies donate huge sums of money…
They’re also citing the poor economy. Well, I gather that Davis has been trying to work on the state budget, but is blocked by the Republicans who want to cut important state “safety net” programs instead of raising taxes. Well, I’m all for lower taxes, but what good does it do if you can’t afford to eat? Besides, it’s hardly the governor’s fault if the entire national economy falls into the toilet and the Federal government refuses to do anything to help the states. After all, there’s something like 47 states in the red. You don’t hear them clamoring for a recall of the governor.
But, it’s all Gray Davis’ fault.
So many people dislike this man, yet they’ve elected him several times as governor. What is really behind the anti-Davis sentiment?
