Do we believe in fairy dust? That facts don’t matter? Putting bureaucrats in control isn’t the answer to rising energy costs.

Consumer-owed or government seized? Socialist Bernie Sanders issued a press release in July, saying “Power belongs in the hands of the people, not greedy corporations.” However, Pine Tree Power puts the grid in the hands of politicians who know nothing about providing electricity.

It is a huge risk for Maine. Not only would Pine Tree Power need to pay the market rate of the takeover by eminent domain, there are almost certainly years of legal costs. Experts estimate that the value of Central Maine Power and Versant is $13.5 billion.

Add to that the cost of an estimated decade of battles in court. Ratepayers will be on the hook. So how we can expect lower prices and increased efficiency with that initial debt?

I wonder if CMP or Versant will make upgrades to the grid in the years of court battles, knowing that a government takeover is imminent.

Pine Tree Power has no plan for how “it will save money, bring back local control, and decrease outages.” Would people invest their hard-earned money in a venture which has no specific plan? Yet if Pine Tree Power goes into effect, it would be a forced investment for all ratepayers.

It’s a bad idea for the state of Maine. It would increase the price of all consumer goods — not just electricity, but also food, clothing and furniture.

Kathleen Szostek, Dixfield

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