Editors Note: We have received hundreds of comments to this story and cannot publish them all. Please know that we do read all of your comments and thank you for your support. How can you act? We have suggested that you send copies of the article to friends and encourage them to contact their state senators and request a response. Congressional e-mail addresses are available HERE; while senatorial e-mails are available HERE. To be more effective, call or write to your senator's office and let your voices be heard. Phone numbers are pronted on the inside front pages of your local telephone book. How interesting it is to have ones suspicions confirmed. I started thinking this in January 2001, when my natural gas bill soared by 132% in 4 months, after being almost flatline for a decade. Just after the usurper president came into power. Too many coincidences. That whole California energy crisis was bullshit, wasn't it? Done to sucker the sheep consumer into accepting outrageous bills. Where I live, Fort Collins, Colorado, I was at that time getting wind generated electricity, which cost more per KWH, but doesn't pollute much. The price never wavered. What you state in your page is nothing but price fixing of the worst kind. I'm pretty sure that what you say was perpetrated is probably a crime, if you can get somebody to prosecute. But I don't think that will happen. Our society appears to have retrograded to times where the rich where the royalty, and everybody else was serfs to be consumed by the rich. I performed my act of "think globally, act locally", by not paying the natural gas bill. Now, for other reasons, it's moot, and they won't see their money. Collection agencies are ignored, and I guess that they've written it off. Told them I'd pay them the price as it was in October, 2000, but they ignored me. Never be afraid to stick by your guns. The TRUTH isn't something to have to hide. Keep up the good work! Sincerely, Alfred P. Reaud I appreciate your courage...and you're right... we should all be pissed.. bill "Live Free Or Die, Death Is Not The Worst Of Evils", Gen. John Stark, 7/1807 "Those who will give up essential liberty to secure a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety", Benjamin Franklin We are having the same problems in Australia, the same promises of cheeper power because of the "free market"; prices for buisnesses have tripled. I am going to send you're article around the place here to help wake folks up to this "strip mining of the working classes." We eat dirt while CEO's award themselfs 'Fat Cat' Bonus Cheques while the shareholders and countless others are stripped of their assets. A couragous article mate, you certainly have my support and all electricity using Aussies!!! ViewZone: I thank you for the courage to publish this story. I am certain that many people will begin to wake up to the so-called "free market" that has caused our whole economy to decline because of increased energy prices. It is sad to realize that the increases have nothing to do with supply and demand but have risen because of human greed. The current excitement about ENRON really misses the point. It's not about retirement benefits of political contributions but about an energy policy that has let the American people down - the people it was supposed to be protecting. I have seen your article reproduced on may bulletin boards and note that it has been picked up by some national newswire services - bravo for you! I will e-mail all of my friends to support you and hope that the truth will get out in time to prevent anyone from trying to censure you or your magazine. We are all behind you and the word is out now. Thanks again. Christopher A. Renchrist ViewZone Magazine is the best! This revelation is really making me sick! I hope everyone knows about this and writes or calls their congressmen... in fact, I am going to drive down to my Senator's office in Boston to personally complain and demand to know what's going on! Well done Gary Vey! An Angered Cirizen I am really surprised that you would dare to take on the likes of M-L-D-W Investment group! You are rocking the boat and billions of dollars will be mounted against you. Good bye Viewzone! Nice to know ya! anonymous My wife read your story and called me at work. Our electric bill has increased by three times over the last year without any significant increase in use. I thought this was because of the war or something but now I see that it is because of the policies of our own nation. I am absolutely speechless. I will share this message with my friends and ask them to support you in your disclosure of the truth. God be with you. Jason McIntyre Well done! Hope you survive this! anonymous reader So what you are saying is that the electricity that used to be sold at cost because it is considered to be vital to life and commerce was suddenly put on a deregulated track where big investment firms could buy it, hold on to it, mark it up, and then re-sell it to the people again at a great profit? Is this true? Did we actually ever vote for this to happen? This is amazing and I am pissed! If this were the summer I would be even more pissed because I would be sitting in my hot apartment and avoiding the air conditioner because of the expense... and to think the extra cash goes to the likes of Dean Witter and rich investors? Bay, I am absolutely certain I NEVER voted for that to happen!!!! What can be done now? Can we demand to have things back to the way they were? Help. We have all been ripped off - not only of our money but of our democratic rights! Pissed off. Viewzone: This is a good piece of writing and you are brave. I think if enough people know about your revelation then you will be safe from harm. I, for one, will keep tabs on you and the magazine and will want to know why your magazine or this story is ever removed from the internet. Do you also publish a printed version? If so, I would like to subscribe but couldn't find any info on where to so this. Regards, Lee Zilinskas ViewZone, Your article "Rip Off" is highly irresponsible. This matter was voted on and approved by the Senate and House years ago and was designed to increase the profitability of the electric industry. If they are not allowed to make a profit then there will be no one left to generate electricity and plan for the future needs of America's electricity consumption. Unfortunately, profit is how the American system works. If you know of a better way then suggest it instead of writing articles like this that only serve to make people angry about an issue that is complex and entirely legal. P.K. Viewzone, It is good to see that your story is finally getting out and reaching the main line news media. I heard your web site mentioned today on the radio as I drove to work. Also, the function of ENRON is also being discussed and the public is getting the picture of how big this greed has been and, like you say, how much we have been "ripped off." I don't remember ever voting for this change in the late 1990's or of any public discussion of the deregulation. Did I miss something? I am also curious that Mr. Richardson, the Federal Energy Commissioner under Clinton's tenure, is running for office in New Mexico. Was he in charge when this terrible change was made? If so then the people of that state need to know and also shou;ld investigate whether he benefited from this scheme. My husband and I are very angry and disappointed in our government after learning of this and we want to do something. But what can we do? Is it already too late? I hope you can continue giving information on this. Thank you also for being brave enough to tell the story. Rosemary Weber from Richmond, VA. Wow! I am not sure if I can really believe what I read! But I also have seen this report on another source and so I guess it really is true. I am going to see about only paying my pre-market rate and spread the word. Bravo! E.H.J. Dear Gary and ViewZone, First of all, thank you for publishing this story. I know you must be worried about the consequences but I want you to know that I also worked for a company that was involved in the electricity re-selling scheme and can verify that what you have reported in your article, "Rip Off" is true. Like you, I was made to sign a statement that I would not disclose anything that I learned during my tenure as an employee with the company. They also forced me to refrain from seeking employment with any other company that enganged in similar activities for at least two years following my termination. I have been emotionally distressed by my hesitation to disclose these same facts and find your publication of these events liberating. I, too, will now begin to make my own knowledge of these events public. Large financial investment firms, of which I was a member, have not only manipulated the electricity market but have done the same thing with natural gas and oil. I have personally had experience with the natural gas part of this scheme. I would like to point out something that you failed to mention, and which is very important for people to know. The elevated prices are not usually passed on to the electric companies that generate the power during these artificial shortages. They have already made contractual agreements for a rate with the brokers, well ahead of the scheduled "shortage" and they usually receive only the modest rate that could be expected on a regular day. The enormous profits are all made by the brokerage firms that re-sell the power to the targeted region, as you have described. And so this further thwarts the efforts to the government to stimulate power generation by the profit motive. Also, you failed to mention that the current scheme has caused many nuclear power plants to come back on line and to seek re-issuance of their operation licenses. These plants were formally too expensive because of the cost of dealing with nuclear waste, and would have been phased out because of financial losses. These plants now can operate with their own staff brokerage representatives and make enormous profits, thus again going against the original plan of deregulation which was to provide a cleaner, safer and less expensive source of energy. Lastly, I would like to speak to all other workers of power plants, brokerage and investment firms and regulatory agencies to come forward and make the facts known. Deregulation is a scandal that has brought about the current recession. It must be opened to the bright light of truth and exposed for the greedy money making scheme that it really is. Only then will the American public be able to make a fair judgement and to vote in a democratic and informed environment. Write to Viewzone. Write to your Senator. E-mail your friends and get the truth out! D. Gregory Hammel Back to ViewZone || Comments?