See the happy moron
He doesn’t give a damn
I wish I were a moron
My God perhaps I am
What would you call bankrupt people who have the greatest, natural source of inexpensive hydroelectric power in the world, who don’t use their locally produced power or get inexpensive electricity?
I’d call them morons.
Back in 1957, when Robert Moses told the idiots here how the New York Power Authority – an Albany-controlled, "public benefit" corporation, having control of their hydropower, would ensure Niagara’s continued prosperity, he deceived a trusting, prosperous but rather stupid people.
The loss of their greatest asset left a legacy of riches to rags.
Since 1957, NYPA controlled all electricity generated from the Niagara.
In 1956, Compton’s Encyclopedia wrote: “Water power helped build the (prosperous) city of Niagara Falls … the falling of water provides a great and constant source of power for (locally-owned) hydro-electric plants which supply the city and surrounding area (with) abundant and cheap electrical power.”
After 55 years, according to Electric Power Monthly, only two US places pay more than we do: New Hampshire and Hawaii.
21 states pay less than half.
NYPA, which generates a more than half a billion dollars worth of electricity annually from the Niagara, sells that power to NYC, (20 percent of homes in NYC use Niagara power) and to seven other states. The people of Niagara get their power from burning coal, purchased from a British-owned company called National Grid.
In the place where electricity became legendary, the people buy their power from foreigners.
In 2007, Niagara could have regained local control of their power. But the Niagara Power Coalition, comprised of morons or worse- the dullard representatives of Niagara Falls, Niagara County, the towns of Niagara and Lewiston, and the Niagara-Wheatfield, Lewiston-Porter, and Niagara Falls school districts renewed with NYPA for a second 50-year license, until 2057, in return for $233 million, paid over 50 years, and a tiny allocation of low-cost Niagara power, which these same politicians control.
Bought off for a pittance.
That’s right. Local leaders relinquished, on behalf of the residents, a half billion-dollar-a-year asset (in today's dollars) in return for a seven-way split of $5 million annually, not factored for inflation. Compared to the actual value of Niagara power (if it were used locally as it once was), five million is five cents.
I imagine a lot of stupid, hapless, foolish dreamers around here think they get their power from NYPA because NYPA has power plants here, and offer free tours of the power vista and free parking along the river for waterfowl observation.
The most common waterfowl, I observed, however, are the gooses all over the place, actually living in homes throughout Niagara, paying high electric bills, unaware they are in a world-leading, electricity-producing region and getting none of it.
To help show how stupid they are consider an apt analogy: Suppose a region grew apples – marvelous, red and delicious.
Once they were healthy from eating them and rich from selling them. And famous too. In fact they were called “the Apple City.”
They were none too bright.
Somehow they signed off, agreed to let state government control their apples for 50 years. Within a few years, they never got to eat their apples or profit from their sale.
When 50 years was up, the people were shattered. But somehow these same people had the same corrupt, moronic elected officials who renewed the license of the “Apple Authority” to have dominion over their apples for another 50 years – a century without their local asset.
So they continued to import expensive, but inferior apples from England, while the juicy red apples grew right in their backyards and everyone who ever remembered the taste of apples gradually died out or moved away.
You’d call these people insane, wouldn’t you? All you need for an insane asylum is a good location, and the right kind of people.
Welcome to Niagara
SORRY FOR THE OFFENSE
“Clean your own nose, before you cast out the first booger!,” he said. But, because of his offensive picture, the editors had to move the Happy Moron to the very last page of the paper. Some people said the large, watery, gelatinous snots dripping out of his nose and touching his tongue, which he seems to enjoy the taste of, bothered them. “Curiously, some of these same people are not bothered by the more disgusting picture of Albany ripping off this region. Nor do they recognize my picture is meant to show Niagara that they look equally foolish for allowing Albany to steal their wealth while they sit happily with figurative snot dripping from their collective noses and do nothing to stand up to the foul booger known as Albany.” said the Happy Moron with a smile.) |