KEEP THE CAPS ON

I've been thinking about the challenge of crafting a message about state and local issues. Here's an idea that might work.

The issue is electricity rate caps. The rate caps have come off in Lewisburg (Citizens Electric) and rates are up significantly (40%?). PPL's rate caps are set to come off in 2010 I believe, but there is still no meaningful competition in the electric market. Even though consumers have forked over something like $13 billion to make that happen, the companies spent the money on other things apparently--or so I'm told.

I don't think a message of "We've been ripped off and we want our money back" is going to work. In the short term, the best we can do is what Gov. Rendell has talked about: delaying the expiration of the rate caps.

Here's my idea for a video message campaign: Person lowers thermostat to 58 degrees, turns to camera, puts on a stocking cap and says: "Lets keep the caps on." The challenge would be to get other people to shoot there own video of themselves putting on a cap and saying, "Let's keep the caps on." The idea plays on the overall energy price problems--more people are shivering because of high fuel oil prices than high electricity prices--but it makes a serious point: real people are going to feel the pinch because of the flaws in Pennsylvania's deregulation plans. Policy makers need to be reminded of that.