Letter to the editor: We are responsible for our own surging utility costs
- Cooper's new ad blasts Whatley for rate hikes, but lobbyists only lobby; governors actually sign off on increases.
- The letter writer gleefully reminds voters that Cooper was the man in the big chair when those rates went up.
- Green New Deal, EVs, and cordless leaf blowers all get dragged into the electric-bill blame game—because personal responsibility is for other people.
- Bonus irony: Utility companies, the letter claims, are scrappy underdogs barely scraping by, not the monopolies we all know and pay.
- Verdict: Everyone's to blame except the people who voted for the policies. Classic.
Brief Summary
A reader’s letter to the editor dismantles Roy Cooper’s campaign ad blaming GOP rival Michael Whatley for North Carolina’s soaring utility costs, noting that Whatley, as a former Duke Energy lobbyist, had zero rate-setting power. The real culprit, per the letter, is the former governor himself, who signed off on the increases while in office—an inconvenient fact for a campaign built on selective amnesia. The letter then spirals into a broader indictment of Democratic energy policies, from the Green New Deal to the EV push, painting them as ideological crusades that jack up your power bill. It even throws in a noble defense of utility companies as put-upon servants of the grid, not the profit-gobbling goliaths of popular imagination. The kicker: We, the consumers, are the true villains, thanks to our cordless drills, smart speakers, and other energy-sucking conveniences. So stop blaming the politicians—unless you’re blaming the right ones, in which case, blame Cooper.
Why This Matters
If you live in North Carolina, this is political catnip with a cold splash of reality: Your electric bill didn’t go up because a lobbyist winked at a legislator; it went up because the people you elected voted for it. This letter is a reminder that campaigns are built on scapegoating, but the buck ultimately stops in the governor’s chair—or in your Netflix-binging, EV-charging, Alexa-shouting living room. The personal responsibility angle stings, especially when you glance at your own energy-sucking gadget drawer. If nothing else, it’s a case study in how politicians love to blame the messenger when they were the ones holding the pen. So next time the bill arrives, you can curse the grid, the climate zealots, or your own addiction to smart plugs—just don’t pretend it’s all the other guy’s fault.