FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 9, 2013
Contact:
Cindi Branham, Communications
Madison County Democratic Party
256-651-4241
cindi@netfocusmarketing.com
www.madisoncountydemocrats.com
HUNTSVILLE, AL, February 9, 2013 ā With Republican state leadership leaning away from the people in their role as utility watchdog and in support of better, more pervasive healthcare, local Democrats are crying foul.
āGov. Bentley has written another chapter of his Luddite legacy as he embraces more coal and less healthcare for Alabamaās citizens. Unbelievably, after discovering that Alabamans are getting taken to the cleaners by big utility and energy companies, Bentley agrees with fellow Public Service Commission (PSC) Luddites, Twinkle Cavanaugh and Jeremy Oden who want to have āinformalā hearings where big utility corporate witnesses can spew spin rather than be forced to make statements under oath,ā said Clete Wetli, Madison County Democratic Party Chair.
Wetli called for formal hearings, which will force the energy monopolies to be accountable to the public they serve. He offered kudos to PSC Commissioner Terry Dunn for trying to protect Alabama utility consumers.
āThe Luddites are afraid their coal burning cronies might have to answer inconvenient questions about pollution or price-fixing. Bentley sounds paranoid and delusional when he speaks of āā¦groups⦠trying to infiltrate and change thingsā¦ā Could these be the groups that understand that fossil fuels are an inefficient, toxic, and finite resource? Wouldnāt investment in renewable energy create jobs in Alabama and help Alabama become more self-sufficient economically?ā Wetli asked.
Wetli issued the following recommendations to the governor: āGov. Bentley, progress is not your adversary; your nemesis is your stubborn resistance to positive change and your fixation on regressive ideology over fact.
āYouāve ignored the math on the Medicaid expansion and your math on job creation is a bit fuzzy. Your counting of ānew, futureā jobs is what folks here call counting their chickens before they hatch⦠thatās not math, itās just hoping something might happen. This fixation on āWe dare defend our coalā and āWe dare defend that a third of Alabama lacks health insuranceā is the same rancid recipe for crony politics that has stifled Alabamaās growth. The Luddites lost their war against progress and better technology – they were on the wrong side of history, much like the Clean Coal Trio of Bentley, Cavanaugh and Oden,ā Wetli added.
The Alabama and Madison County Democrats believe in the equality of all people, the power of education, the dignity of work, and our responsibility to each other, especially the least of these people. The Democratic Party of Madison County promotes and supports progressive ideals and candidates throughout our communities.
www.madisoncountydemocrats.comĀ Ā Ā www.aldemocrats.com
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