Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's wrong. It's flat out wrong that we have to
(00:03):
take it. That's simple.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I am not anti capitalism, I'm not anti profit, but
there needs to be a reasonable limit placed, especially when
you're talking about items that are required for the survival
of you man, nit ty, Is that clear enough? You
(00:29):
must be able to heat your home. You must be
able to drink water. Your body cannot live without water.
You must be able to have electricity, because everything we
do is electric anymore. My god, we have government programs
that give you free cell phones, free internet access, free
(00:52):
school lunches, free blah blah. Stuff that isn't necessary but
makes more life or it makes life more convenient. Why
would you not have some sort of program to to
make sure that these profits don't get out of hand
(01:13):
with with stuff you need to live. I don't think
it's asking too much setting limits on the acceptable profit
margin for public utilities. Stockholders can make money, public utilities
can keep working capital. But but three times, I mean,
(01:35):
we're talking billions of dollars and then want a rate increase.
It's offensive. A two one nine eight six A two
one WUTV and Pat no, I guess not. Pat dropped
off all right, Debbie's been on hold. The next longest
drun six to ten WUTV and Debbie.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Hey, Chuck Man, I feel your pain. However, got start it.
One of your previous callers mentioned, well, we just need
to get rid of all the Democrats, and you know
what that's That's a lame that's a lame.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Excuse me, I.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Think he was. He was saying that sarcastically. He didn't
mean that.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Well. I would like to remind everybody that is that
our Republican governor gave all these big Intel, Google and
Amazon moving in. Trust me, I did cheap my own
construction work forever. I was living well off the hog
for a while while they were moving in. But I'm
(02:33):
also I'm a homeowner, and he gave them so many
tax abatements. We need to start taxing these companies and
lame just get build there and start doing all this
stuff without paying your fair share.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
That is something that Democrat mayoral candidate Joe Motile and
I agree on. We don't agree on everything or even
a lot, but he is a real watchdog when it
comes to the uh those tax abatements, and the City
of Columbus hands him out like trick or treat candy
and they do.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
It's crazy kills a friend of mine.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
I admire that man.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Yeah, I get along with him.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Support me when I really needed help. He's just a
good guy.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
I get along with him well. But it's not because
we agree on stuff. It's because he's true to what
he believes. Even if we're in disagreement. He's true to
what he believes, and I can respect that from anyone.
And the fact that ultimately he's looking for two things.
We have different routes to get to it. I see
it going one way, he sees another. But it all
comes down to two things. Watch dog for the public
(03:40):
dollar and accountability to the public for your policies, practices,
and procedures. That's what we both want out of city Hall.
So we can agree on that.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Yeah, and there's another thing. I mean, I back in
the day, back in the eighties, when I graduated high school,
before I went to college, I joined a lobbyist group
and I worked with them. I think we need to
really take a good look at all these lobbyist groups,
because every pharmaceuticals have them. Everybody's got a lobbyist group,
(04:13):
or they are given politicians money on the side to
vote certain ways for things, and it's not right.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
The exchange of money is illegal. But what happens is
that lobbyists make sure that you go on vacation to
Cancun with them if the vote happens to go the.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Way they want exactly.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
And I think we really need to take a real
hard look Republicans, Democrats, independents, whoever you are at lobbyists groups.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
You know why, Debbie, You know why so many of
them are so effective though, because many of them ran
for office and served in those offices before they became
lobbyists to go to those offices and get their way.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
They were part.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Of the process so that they learned the ins and
outs and how to get in the back doors. And
that means that makes them very dangerous because they know
probably more than they should.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
I agree with you, but tax abatements, and our Republican
governor gave all these corporations tax abatements. Well, I'm paying taxes,
you're paying taxes. My electric bill goes up, my gas
bill goes up, my water bill goes up because I'm
paying for all these corporations that are using bukou more
(05:26):
than I could ever use in a life.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Absolutely, and that's that's the governor, that's the mayor. That's all.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
You know, both political stripes, Debbie, you and I were
on the same page with that one. Of course I'm
no fan of, especially since COVID of Mike DeWine. We
got to stop giving our money away to the corporations.
You know, for whatever the lobbyists say they want, we
give them because we want the business, We want the
bestiness here in Ohio. You need to keep the people
here in Ohio. Take care of the people of Ohio.
(05:56):
Without the people, there is no dag going Ohio. We
are Ohio, and we've got to quit taking it up
the nose while you're handing.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
In a way.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Look, in addition to all this stuff, you've got the
cutting benefits. I was grousing about that last week. We
want to limit. Oh you know, some mom can't use
our food stamp card to go get a birthday cake,
for God's sake, for her little five year old because
the birthday cake is sweet and we can't have that,
can't buy him some kool aid for the birthday party.
(06:29):
So the kid gets no birthday cake and birthday party.
Because we're protecting you, but our tax free holiday for
back to school allows you to go purchase a new
handgun and get it tags free. Stupid, quit kissing political butts,
and makes some sense.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
That's how you serve the people.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Oh my gosh, did I tell you it was a
Howard b O kind of night A two one WTV
and is a number ASUSI or on the Legacy Retirement
Group dot com phone lines?
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Hi?
Speaker 5 (06:58):
Hi, Yes, I just wanted to make a comment also
that the pu CEO has some blame in all this,
because every time it comes up for a vote, it
goes before the PUCO and they approve these rate increases. I.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Oh, yes, that's what I said. They've become a rubber stamp.
When I try to get somebody from there to come
here to talk to us, they don't even have anybody
in that capacity. How accountable are you when you don't
even have somebody to come talk to the people you're
supposed to represent.
Speaker 5 (07:30):
Oh, that's interesting.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Makes me very sad, and it makes me even more
angry because look, it's not like I can go down
to AEP and go in and see the chairman of
the board, the CEO, the board members or anything like that.
That's your job as the organization you're supposed to be.
If I can't talk to you, how are you representing me?
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (07:53):
And I don't think they've ever turned anything down.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
I don't know if they have, or if so, it
was probably small and insignificant. I mean we I you know,
I was complaining with Mark a couple of weeks ago
too when this was first announced about these record profits.
I remember that d ratio coming through, and I remember
we had to our rates had to go out because
poles and lines came down, the winds knock stuff down.
And I'm thinking, wait a minute, I got to carry
(08:19):
insurance on my car. If my dog bites somebody, I
better have insurance to cover that. Why doesn't AEP have
insurance for their lines? That you chose to be in
that business, this is something that can happen. Why do
you have to raise my rates to pay for your
lack of insurance coverage?
Speaker 1 (08:37):
That's not my fault.
Speaker 5 (08:39):
And I think there's story writers on there to cover that.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Well.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
But why why do that if you can just get
the money out of us? Susie, thank you for being
out there.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Have you ever called before you a first timer?
Speaker 5 (08:55):
I'm a first timer. I listened all the time, but
I'm a first timer.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Well, bless your heart.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
I hope to hear from you more often. You have
a wonderful evening, and thanks for playing with us tonight
two nine eight eight six eight two n WTV. And
I'm trying to get through everybody here before we have
to say goodbye. Judy, you are on six n WUTV.
Speaker 6 (09:10):
Yes, you uh about these this increase in all these utilities,
electric and the gas. I have always been very conservative.
I still am. And every bill I get, I am
afraid to open it because they are all going over
one hundred dollars. My cable bill has gone up, and
(09:31):
they say noon improved. Well, no, it's actually the same
that I've had. I'm in the point, I honest honestly don't.
I don't know what to do. I'm on a fixed income,
which was always uh, you know fine before, and I don't.
I am not an extravagant liver, extravagant person, you know.
(09:57):
I was brought up, you know, waste not want not,
that's my theory. But and I'm using the same same
power and the as far as the gas. In the summer,
my gas bill would always drop because all I really
have in gas in the summer is the hot water heater,
(10:18):
which it's just me and I don't do that much
laundry and I usually use cold water. And it's just
it's getting to the point where it's getting kind of scary.
And they say, well, we can, you know, set you
up on payment. No, I don't want to payment. I'm
not going to be paying on electric bill, you know,
(10:40):
for ten years or something. And then when I heard
you talking about the uh millions of dollars that the
power company has made in profit, I thought it just, oh,
it just makes me so aggrivated.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
To me, it's billions, billions, would be three times the
profit from last year. And here's something else. You just
brought up hot water heaters. This is something else. The
government has subsidized people who bought big sport utility vehicles
to get American vehicles on the road. They subsidize all
kinds of stuff. It would make perfect sense for the
federal government to subsidize your installation of a tankless water heater.
(11:16):
What's the point of heating water when you're not using it? Well,
you don't need it's just you by yourself. A tankless
water heater your gas consumption would go down to nothing
and it would only make hot water when you needed it.
Speaker 6 (11:29):
Yeah, and I've heard those tankless ones there are lots
more expensive and they're not even recommended that much.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (11:35):
Well, I've got to had to get a new water
heater several years ago, and I said something about the
tankless and they said, well, they really aren't behind tankless
water heaters, So I don't know.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Yeah, they've come all the way in the last few years.
I'll give them credit for that. And they are more expensive,
but the fact that I'm not going to be paying
to heat water all the time, Yeah, it's I think
it's a great expense myself, but hey, everyon makes everybody
has to make that decision. I got to run, JUDI
thanks very much for the call. I appreciate you. Have
a good night.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
John. You'll wrap us up on six to n WTVN.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
Yeah, Chuck, the utility tell me is like ap Columbus Water,
so forth, so on. The thing is, none of those
companies are owned by the city or Columbus or the
state of Ohio.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Well, the city of City of Columbus owns their division
of water and sewer they operated.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
But if you talk to the employees and ask them
who they work for. They're not going to tell you
the City at Columbus.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Will you pay your bill to the Columbus City Treasurer?
Speaker 4 (12:41):
Absolutely, I'm just telling you, like crack dealers.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Who owns them?
Speaker 4 (12:48):
I don't remember what my buddy told me, but it's
not the City at Columbus. But it really doesn't matter.
You know, the problem is you need something, We've got
what you need, and we're gonna charge you whatever we want.
They're like crack dealers.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Well, I said the same thing about gasoline. But remember,
you know price gouging. Everybody talked about price gouging, that
the government was going to take at you against gas
stations for price gouging after September eleventh. Well, why aren't
you price gouging when you're doing this to us on
our electric bill, when you're doing this to us on
our gas bill, that's price gouging.
Speaker 5 (13:25):
Too.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
Correct, And you know I agree with you. I need
this to live. Go go gouge something else.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
You know, right, you're not you gouge.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
This isn't a luxury item, this isn't an optional item.
I have to have this to live and it shouldn't
be held held hostage in the name of profit. John,
I just I can't. I can't need more clear about that,
and we need to do something about this.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
I mean this sincerely.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
I'm not sure what route I'm gonna take yet, but
I may be calling on you. I may be getting
some phone numbers to some elected officials who might be
able to help I, organization's body, whatever,