Voices: Eating potatoes

November 24, 2008 09:14 pm

— I am a 75-year-old widow making less than $750 per month. Two years in a row, the Public Service Commission has given the utilities a raise. Maybe not the whole amount they were asking for, but still a raise.
How does the PSC justify this given the state of the economy?
People on disability who got cuts in funding two years ago and are on Social Security don’t have a chance in this state of Misery (Missouri).
All groceries have gone up, then the utilities and now the trash service in Joplin is going up.
I’m glad I own my own house but the air-conditioning unit is going out. It will cost $4,000 to fix, but that will never happen thanks to the Public Service Commission.
I own my 1997 Buick Skylark with 200,000 miles on it. The air-conditioning unit is going out on it, too. That will cost $500 to fix, but it’s not going to happen thanks to the Public Service Commission.
You know what it’s like to eat potatoes for the last two weeks of the month when you run out of money?
I doubt any one of the Public Service Commission members has to worry about running out of money.
Sure, I could go to the Economic Security Corp. and ask for help, but there were times when you didn’t have to ask for help. You were able to do it on your own.
My level-pay plan on my gas bill went from $58 to $85. Remember, I live by myself. I used to pay my gas and phone bill and get change back. Not anymore. During the winter months, I run my thermostat at 65 degrees and run around the house with two sweaters and a blanket so to keep from running up my bill.
So, to the Public Service Commission, I hope you enjoy your heating and air and your air conditioning on your car and the nice food you can afford.
Gisela Putman
Joplin