If
it smells rotten...
I
just finished reading “Rumors of Anthem annexation
squelched” in the June 20 edition of The Desert
Advocate. Granted, I am no rocket scientist or
mathematics major, but I do smell a dirty deal
in this story.
Basically,
what you are saying is that the City of Phoenix
cannot afford to annex Anthem because the water
and sewage systems would cost too much. So, if
it would cost the city too much, then the Corporation
Commission should just go ahead and roll over
for Arizona American Water and screw the people
of Anthem.
You
know it is going to happen anyway; they never
find in favor of the little guy. Take the recent
APS rate hike–they approved an increase of 6.5
percent, bringing the rate up a total of 15 percent
for the year.
That’s
right, they gave APS a firm talking to, and I’m
sure they will never do that again, that they
learned their lesson. They will never try to screw
the consumer again, ever. Bad boys!
The
commission is going to do the same thing here
in Anthem–they are going to roll over and give
Arizona American the rate increase, and they will
slap their hand and tell them they are bad boys.
It should mean something to us here in Anthem
that if Phoenix won’t touch this deal, there must
be more to it than we know. If its smells rotten,
it usually is rotten.
Citizens
Utilities Co./Arizona American Water and Pulte
Homes (Del Webb) knew exactly what they were doing
when they built the water system, got the people
in here, and then told them it is an emergency
and they will be forced to pay. Sounds a lot like
bait‑and‑switch or strong‑arm
robbery to me. But I am just a stupid farm boy
from Ohio, so I don’t know the ways of the big
city.
I
am sorry we are getting screwed, and we are going
to just stand around and take it, while Pulte
and Arizona American laugh at us all the way to
the bank and the Corporation Commission is going
to stand by and bless it so it looks legal. It
is not legal. They did not disclose any of this
when we purchased our homes and they knew full
well what they were up to all along.
We
should be demanding that the Attorney General
get involved, because this is just plain wrong.
If they City of Phoenix can see that there is
a problem, then why can’t we see it and why can’t
the Corporation Commission see it?
Someone
should go to jail over this deal, but they won’t
because the Corporation Commission always finds
in favor of the big companies, not the consumer.
We will pay for the infrastructure that Arizona
American purchased from Pulte Homes and we will
like it.
This
would be like Safeway coming to Anthem and then,
after being here for eight years, realizing they
made a bad real estate purchase and doubling their
prices. But they couldn’t do that because they
have competition. So, if they made a bad purchase,
then they would have to suck it up and make a
business decision whether they can remain in business
here or not. No one would tell them, “Yes, double
your prices and take a commission to pay your
executives a bonus as well.”
