riks@sri-unix (12/10/82)
Base motives? Even if I believed that come spring PGE would just swallow the loss and that the affected customers would never try to scrape up the funds to pay off the debt and get their power re-connected, I wouldn't really call the company all that immoral for asking for monetary help. PGE is a business, after all. Their goal is to make money. What better way than having people volunteer to send it in? Seriously, I think most of the money will benefit customers. You are not being forced to send in your money. If it feels good to you, you may. If not, don't. But suppose you are right: all those deadbeats will just learn a new lifestyle without electricity come spring, and the utility does have to write off the debt. Sure, rates may go up or investor's may get burned. But I bet the company stays solvent. Considering that your terminal is probably not battery powered, you'd better hope that they ALL stay in business: it would be a real pain to have the power go out. Hmmmm, this sounds something like their appeal.