Full disclosure. I lived in Ohio for the first part of my adult life. There’s much to recommend, and until they (like Michigan) started trying to tax their way out of economic slowdowns I would have loved to return there at some point.

Have to say, I’m so glad someone there is looking into the utilities. Having just suffered through an 8-day power outage from a December ice storm with the idiots/morons/imbeciles from PSNH – Public Service of New Hampshire, our own outstanding electric utility, I can honestly say that they deserve to be investigated and fined…and sanctioned…and have criminal charges for stupidity filed as well. This is one of the rare instances where government can help (by, and this is important, protecting its citizens). I wouldn’t argue for any intervention if we had choices. In this case, the master regulator, competition, is absent from the equation. If I had any choice at all, I would never give PSNH another penny. Hell, I’d sign up for “Satan’s Electric Company” if I could, but I don’t have a choice.

I can only hope that across the country, the utilities get the message and start providing service for the exorbitant rates they charge. A little courtesy, honesty, responsiveness, and respect would be nice as well, but I’d settle for routine competence. My current feeling is that as soon as you’re able to pull off “You want fries with that?”, you have immediately passed the educational and intelligence requirements for running a public utility.

I hope they fine ’em till they bleed red ink.