So now Fred Thomas wants us to get on the right track, and elect him as state senator again. We should remember the track Thomas took us on when he was a state senator in the 1990’s. He sponsored a bill (proposed by corporations like Enron and future Enron lobbyist Racicot) to deregulate electric power generation in Montana. That really worked out well – if you like paying much higher power bills!
Deregulation was soon followed by Montana Power’s sale of the power generators to an out-of-state corporation. A few years later, Montana Power went bankrupt, with thousands of Montanans losing part of their retirement assets, and power bills for Montanans increasing by over $50 million a year – every year!
Deregulation worked just like a new tax on the people of Montana – except that all of the money goes out-of-state! With big increases in the cost of electricity after deregulation Montana saw some manufacturers like Smurfit-Stone reduce production, laying off workers, and eventually closing.
So Thomas’ track led to higher power bills and fewer jobs – definitely not the right track for Montana.
Kirk Thompson
Stevensville